simple kind of life
by paulalou
Summary: it's not being weak it's learning to cope when your world is falling apart. will hermione be their for ron when he need's her the most(compleate story)
1. hero

It was finally over.  
Harry slumped backwards on to the grass behind him and waited for something anything to happen, The body of Voldemort lay a few foot in front of him. Finally dead.  
Harry was a free man, he no longer had to live under the living curse that had ran through his blood for seventeen years.  
He wiped the blood away from his face, cleaned his glasses and looked at the devastation that surrounded him.  
He felt numb, like he would never be happy again , it was as if dementors had swarmed in upon him and there was nothing he could do.  
Not that he haven't seen his fair share of dementors in the last 24 hours. He knew the final battle was near but for it to fall on the very doorstep of the place that he regarded as his safe house.  
Hogwarts lay in ruin, people he called friend were dead.  
The image of ron falling to worm tail would haunt him, ron's motionless body, hermione yelling at him to go on without the two of them ginny pursing him out the door luna and Neville close behind… Harrys chest hurt. It was as if his heart was breaking inside.  
The world slid in and out of focus…. 

"is he dead?" " no just exhausted" Harry heard the voices of Ginny and Remus, he willed himself to open his eyes but his body wouldn't co opereate.  
"we need to get him some medical help" said the voice of Remus. " and someone will have to have a look at you aswell" " im fine we have to get harry to the hospital." Slowly harry sliped in to sleep again.

Ginny had been scared, more scared than she had ever been in her life. But she had stood there with harry ready to die for him if he needed her to, anything to stop Voldemort winning the war.  
She had a vivid image in her mind of Voldemort as he had aimed a spell at her , ready to kill, it had ricochet of the only spell Ginny could remember whilst facing down death.  
She would thank Fred and George everyday from now on for teaching her the bat boggy hex.

And now she was scared for Harry, he was her number one priority, he had no one to be worried about him , no one but her . She would sit here until they got whatever tests they needed done then go get treated herself. It wasn't until ginny spotted an all to familiar red head foating down the corridor n a streter did she remember ron laying there motionless…. She got up and walked to the door.  
She craned to see if it was her brother. It was but not the one she had been looking for , Percy lay on the stretcher, arm bandaged and looking woebegone .  
He reached out and hugged ginny, every inch of her wanting to hug him back but she couldn't. he had soled them to Voldemort, he was the reason her mother was dead.  
He was the reason her father cried every night.  
She hated him with every inch of her being.  
She pulled herself free and walked back to harry's room.  
She whispered in to his ear.  
Then headed to the check in to see if she could track down her real brothers.

Hermione waited Fred wrapped his arm around her soothing her , calming her trying to make her feel as if everything was going to be ok.  
How was everything going to be ok… "he's not dead" remus half smiled from the ground next to ron.  
" he's not" hermione almost screamed.  
"no but he's pretty badly hexed, see where it hit?" remus pointed to the scaring where the brains had wrapped around Ron in the department of mysteries all thoughts years ago. Was it only two years ago?  
" seems as if one of your adventures may have saved Ron for a change" Fred said reassuringly squeezing Hermione's shoulder.  
"don't joke about it.." Hermione was shaking like mad, it had knocked her for six trying to take on both worm tail and luscious Malfoy , watching him attack his own son. Watching Malfoy stand by both Ron and Hermione's side and take on his father. Hermione could never ever use an unforgivable cures on her own flesh and blood. But tehn again her last name wasn't Malfoy.  
He lay on the ground near ron watching the presiding , blood flowing from a cut on his head. He swayed as he tried to stand and nevill caught him.  
" you ok?" Neville asked as draco looked down at the remains of what used to be his father.  
Slowly he shook his head.  
"you get used them not knowing who you are… but its still hurts" said Neville.  
Draco just stared at ron.  
" is he going to be ok ?" he asked in a cracked voice.  
"we'll see we have to get this lot to the hospital. Harry is already there" said lupin.  
"so…so he's not dead?" hermione asked " has Harry ever failed us yet?" lupin smiled.

The room swung in to focus , no one had taken his glasses off. He stared at the dark sealing for some time before he noticed that he wasn't the only one in his room.  
Ron lay in the next bed, white as a ghost. Only the rhythmic breathing told harry he wasn't.  
How long had he been asleep?  
Days? Hours minuets?  
His body ached.  
"your awake?" Ginny's soft voice met his ears.  
He just nodded. He turned his head to look at her. She was looking tierd. A long cut wound it's way up across her fore head and in to her hair line. But other than that….  
"I thought you were a goner that time " she said " I thought I wasn't going to have you anymore" she said giving him a drink. Harry tried to reach out for it but his body just wouldn't do what he told it to.  
"how's Ron" Harry managed but his voice was all rasp and crispy.  
" pettegrew hit him with the same hex Voldemort tried to hit you with.. He's going to be alright" she added upon seeing Harry's face " but he's going to have to be looked after properly for a long time.." she nodded across the room to where hermione was fast asleep on the spare bed. " I'm sure hermione wont mind" said Ginny grinning evilly . But at the same time she eyed up Harry's reaction.  
"bet ron will love that" he said before accepting another drink from harry.  
"as for you you just need a lot of bed rest and a woman to look after you" "ron can share" harry joked.  
"can he now?" ginny questioned.  
Harry knew that when it had come down to it hermione was his friend but she had shown in the battle where her heart belonged, even if she didn't know it.  
A pain his harry in the side of the chest.  
"right you need more sleep" said Ginny helping him lie back down on his pillow.  
" and don't worry im here if you need anything


	2. worry rock

_I don't own anything apart from the weird dream that this all came from …. And boy was that weird… Hang with it as well because it will start to get better I just needed to set the scene and it was a little longer than just a prologue…_

* * *

Harry could hear his mothers voice in his head, he had to stop himself from believing that she was in the same room.  
The voices had gotten steadily stronger since the effects of the last potion had worn of. He didn't dare tell ginny or hermione they would only worry.

Harry looked across at the two spare bed's that the hospital had put in the room since neither Ginny or hermione seemed to be in the disposition to leave his or Ron's side.

The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only thing that made the room seam to be alive.  
Harry wondered to himself how bad the death toile was now. Would they find everyone… Mr Weasley had came in earlier, he thought that harry was asleep , but harry had listened to every word of the conversation.  
George was still missing.  
In all the commotion the twins had gotten separated. Fred had gone to help Angelina, George had went to help wood.  
They found wood's body yards from the lake.

Harry tried to pull himself upright, but knocked the jug of water from the bedside table both Ginny and hermione woke with a start.  
"harry are you ok ?" hermione asked tentatively . Harry noticed for the first time her arms were badly bandaged.  
"yeah I just need to get out of this room for a while." ginny and hermione walk over to his side.  
" you're not supposed to leave the room" " Voldemort can't hurt me anymore hermione stop worrying" despite Harry's words hermione swapped worried looks with Ginny.  
" ok then… one of you come with me then but I can't stay here." Harry slowly began limping towards the door, Ginny and hermione following him . Harry's hand had just touched the door knob when there was a groaning sound from Ron's bed.  
Hermione looked across hopefully then back at Harry.  
" stay with him hermione" Harry said as he turned and headed in to the hallway.

Fred walked the battle field with his father , signs of George any sign of George would be good right now.  
His family had lost so much threw out this war, a mother a brother, and Fred could feel it in his chest as every second passed by he was going to have lost his twin as well.  
Just when he felt all hope was lost the voice of Charlie carried across the wind.

George lay in a crumpled heap by the roots of the whomping willow. Blood lay stuck to the side of his head congealed across his face. His arms obviously broken in several places. But whenever they tried to get close enough to get to him the tree would swing at them violently.  
if only hermione Ron or Harry were here they knew how to get past this stupid damn tree.  
Why didn't I listen to Ron?  
Every second that we waist George slips farther from us.

hermionewatched Ron stir in his sleep, sitting cross legged on the bed beside him ,she platedher hair ,gaze resting upon him, his face is screwed up in frustration like a small child caught in bad dream.  
Hermione reached out and took hold of his hand, she knew right now their was nothing that she could do for him,. Just as she had known on the battle field that there was nothing that she could do for him , but she couldn't leave his side. Ron was her world, She may not tell him so, they might fight , argue and bicker, never see eye to eye … but the thought of a world without Ron… it didn't bare thinking about.  
She looked across at the bedside table where the few item's the nurse had removed when changing him in to the hospital gowns. Her eyes rested on his head boy pin, his captain badge and the small silver band that hermione had bought him for Christmas the year before.  
His mother would have been proud of him, had she lived to se him become the brightest of her sons the one to have achieved the most.  
Hermione wiped a tear from her eye, she ,missed molly Weasley a lot. But not as much as her family did.  
Yet Ron hadn't cried. He had been strong even if it was for Ginny's sake. When bill was killed, Ron had become silent and subdued. Hermione had worried, he submerged himself in school work and kept him self to himself.  
She had sat till the early hours with him talking about nothing but the silence saving him from his despair.  
How much pain could one man take before he cracked.

A tapping on the door made her look up Remus and professor moody stood at the door. Remus called her to them.  
Hesitantly hermione made the way to the door, not wanting to let go of Ron's hand, even if he didn't know that she was their it was something for her to hang on to .  
"professor? " she addressed moody.  
"we have bad news" said moody .  
Ginny looked from one to the other.  
A pain hit hermione in the stomach her head did a mental count, she had seen Charlie, Mr Weasley, Percy… even if he was a traitor, Fred ,George.. . Or had she seen George? Her mind did a flash back over the day searching for memories of George.  
The last time she had seen george was early this morning ( now yesterday) at the breakfast table.  
She knew what Remus was going to say before he said it.  
" George didn't make it …" said moody sadly. Moody was rather fond of the Weasley twins.  
Hermione felt the lump forming in her through.  
Then Remus did something she had never seen him do before he punched the wall. " this is all my fault…" He said resting his head against the wall.  
" what happened" hermione managed to stutter through the pain in her chest.  
"the womping willow…" moody sighed. " he was unconscious he didn't stand a chance."


	3. old for new

i did this on newyear's eve whilest my boyfriend was sleeping because he did nightshift the night before.

so consider this my new year party!( i was alone i was all by myself)

enjoy

* * *

Georges funeral had been a subdued affair. The remaining Wesley's had gathered around and thanked everyone for showing up. Ron said nothing the whole day as hermione pushed him around in his wheelchair. To be honest ron had hardly said anything at all since he woke up. But hermione didn't mind, as long as he was going to be ok, she needed her best friend.  
Katie bell had cried all the way through the service, she was the only one , all others were past crying devoid of emotion … their had been to many tears spilt in the aftermath of Voldemort rein.  
Georges was the first of many funerals that were to be held, the death count had risen as the remaining death eaters had tried to flee. Privattie Pettal, dean thomas, Colin Crevie, terry boot. .  
Hermione tried not to think of toughs closest to her that had gone. Hagrid's funeral was the day after Georges. Their was to much hurt for all this to be made right. 

…

"hermione will you stop just staring at the clock" ginny said as we got the spare room at the burrow ready for ron and harry's return from st mungos. They were finally going to be released , a month had past since they were both taken in to the hospital, hermione had visited every day.  
The result's of their n.e.w.t's lay in brown paper envelopes on the kitchen table a ministry owl had delivered them two days ago but hermione wanted the boys to get their results with her. But for once results meant nothing to hermione. She just wanted to try and get some sort of normality back in to her life.  
Mr Weasley sat reading paper work at the kitchen table. The bags under his eye's grew larger everyday, hermione worried that he had taken on way to much when he agreed to be assistant minister to dumbeldore. But now with dumbledore gone and Mr Weasley acting as the Minister till they had a chance to appoint someone new, hermione worried that it was all to much for him to take on.  
"Mr Weasley ?" hermione said tentatively as a worried look crossed his face.  
"yes hermione?" " are you ok?" she asked quietly as Ginny continued making up the bed's in what used to be mrs Weasley's sewing room.  
"were having trouble getting people to help repair hogwarts, it looks like the school will have to close." Hermione wasn't expecting that.  
" but what about the student's…" "maddame maxine is more than willing to take some in at buxibon but there is only so much she can do" Hermione knew what all this came down to like him or not luscious Malfoy provided a lot of financial support to hogwarts.  
"is their anything I can do to help?" " not unless you know any good spells that can fix 620000 gallions worth of damage…" he looked across Hermione's shoulder at Ginny. Hermione knew what he was thinking , he felt he was letting Ginny down.  
"I'll think of something" she said resting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing.  
She looked at the clock above the door and sighed. It was time… She slowly rose to her feet and looked at mr Weasley.  
"are you going to come with us?" she asked. Mr Weasley nodded and tidied his things away.  
Ginny on seeing the two of them standing took it as a que to go see if fred was going to come too.  
She returned a few minuites later shaking her head.  
"he say's he's busy" she said sadly. Fred had locked himself away in the twins old room since the day of Georges funeral, he even refused to let Angelina in … she had cried the first time but now understood it was his way of coping with things, she was minding the shop till Fred sorted himself out.  
Hopefully Ron's return would help.

Neville met them in the reception of st mungos, a weak smile passed between the three of them .  
" have you been to see luna?" Ginny questioned.  
Neville nodded " she wanted to know my results… she was asking after you hermione… you know luna she has to know everything." " I haven't opened mine yet" " she's waiting for the dastardly duo" Ginny explained as the waved to tonk's who was busy helping an old wizard up a flight of stairs. "oh right" said Neville disappointed.  
"ok I get it " said ginny smiling at Neville " what did you get then?" He pressed the call button on the lift.  
"outstanding on my herbology" " that was to be expected" smiled hermione.  
"but the two I got for transfiguration and defence against the dark arts weren't" he said and hermione felt the smile cross her face… she hugged him.  
" Neville that's wonderful" she said when they broke apart and walked in to the lift.  
"it's all thanks to you and Harry" he said beaming. " I thought that I would come and say thank you to Harry before he goes back to your place" he said to Ginny. "Neville I told you last time your welcome to come stay any time you want, I know what your gran's like" Neville smiled again,  
" actually she's not been to bad lately, last time I went to see mam and dad the head healer told her that it was me that cursed that crazy lestrange woman, I've never seen my gran look so happy" Hermione had to admit she hadn't seen Neville ever look this happy. " so how is luna?" " their going to let her go home next week some time" he said going a little flushed in the cheeks.  
" she lives near you right" said ginny as they headed down the hall to harry and ron's room.  
" yeah … but you know how it is" said Neville.  
"know how what is?" asked harry as they walked in the room.  
"Neville fancys luna" said ginny throwing herself down on the end of harrys bed. Ron looked up from his seat.  
" really?" hermione could have swore he looked across at her. " I suppose it take's all sorts right?" Neville looked at the four of us … " yeah we'll at least she knows how I feel" he said smiling to himself.  
Hermione had to admit that he did have a point, Neville had always been honest with luna , that was defiantly more than she could say for her bunch of friends.  
" where's dad?" ron asked rolling himself forward in his chair.  
" he went to see professor flitwick about something" said Ginny not taking her eyes off of Harry whilst she spoke.  
"does he have to be working today?" Ron questioned.  
"it's not his fault … their trying to make things right, your dad's right at the top now, you have to give him a chance to prove himself" said Neville Ron nodded, hermione had to admit that Neville was making sense.  
Hermione walked over to Ron's bed and picked up his bag. She went to push him but he knocked her hand away.  
" I can do it myself" " fine then " The others looked at them this looked like the beginning of a Granger Weasley fight. Something that they hadn't seen in a long time. But hermione didn't want this to be a fight she counted to ten slowly.  
Neville told Harry and Ron about the results of the N.E.W.T' s coming by ministry owl.  
" we'll its obvious isn't it " said Ron "theirs nothing left of hogwarts is their Voldemort made sure of that" Both Harry and hermione looked at each other, that was the most Ron had said in long time.

……………

Their goodbye to Neville had been short and sweet , Ginny had told him to send an owl if he ever needed anything. And he had promised to keep in touch. As they arrived back at the burrow Ron tried his best to get his wheel chair to go over the cobbles surface but it just wasn't happening. Reluctantly he let hermione help him.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her help but he didn't want to be treated like an invalid, he would be abele to use crutches soon and he wouldn't have top rely on hermione and Ginny. Not that he minded to much that hermione seamed so anxious to help him.  
She had been their when he had woken , each and every time, caught in the nightmares that his sleep brought him , she was their holding his hand telling him it was ok she was their.  
Hermione had been his rock for so long now, but he knew he couldn't remain this weight around her neck, she was destined for great things, and him? Who knew.  
He looked up at the twins window, Fred stood watching them , when he caught Ron's gaze he drew the curtains across the window. Ron closed his eyes and held back the tears, he was not going to show his friends how weak he was.


	4. this left feels right

thankyou to all the people that reviewed me i will give you personal mentions in the next chapter honest but for now heres a really long one

i dont own teh story just teh wierd dream that it came from

The brown envelopes lay in front of them on the bed, this was it . This was the point when they were no longer students but fully qualified wizards. Would this be the door to a new interesting world or a straight bee line for working for fred for the rest of their life?  
The look on Hermione's face said the same thing. What if we fail?  
It wasn't as if they didn't have other things on their mind for the vast majority of last year.  
"so how are we going to do this?" she asked Ron and Harry .  
"all together?" suggested Harry, Ron nodded slowly. And picked up the envelope.  
Hermione's squeak of happiness must have been audible from hogwarts ron was sure.  
He had barley enough time to scan his paper before he had it wrenched out of his hand by an impatient hermione… "ron that's fantastic" she said hugging him … "outstanding in everything?" she said reading the list again "even divination?".  
Ron could feel the colour rushing to his cheeks.  
They both looked at harry. He was just staring at his parchment with a look of disappointment on his face.  
"harry?  
" I failed potions." "oh harry" said hermione dropping Ron and going to hug Harry.  
"don't worry about it hermione my dark arts mark is of the scale …bet that really annoyed snape" said harry grinning slightly.  
" but you won't be able to be an auror now mate." ron said. Looking at him sympathetically.  
"I just took down Voldemort, you want to tell me that their not going to want me as an auror?" Ron had to admit that he had a point.  
"suppose it's a stupid question asking what you got." said ron rubbing at his leg, it was sore , but that was all his own fault he tried to stand on it before, they told him not to at least until he had crutches but he wanted to see if he could , just for him.  
" clear run again" she smiled at him .  
" so all in all we did ok" harry surmised.  
"harry mate if I thought I would be sitting here with the marks that I got … I would have thought I was going mad." "I don't know Ron remember what you saw in the mirror?" hurry said. "yeah but that mirror didn't show the future?" Ron answered.  
" no but it was a good guess really" said Harry as he began recalling the list of achievements that Ron had acuminated.  
This time Ron went bright red.  
" we'll when you all finished telling my big head of a brother how great he is your dinners ready." said ginny leaning on the door post.  
Hermione looked at her watch. " I didn't think it was that late I'm going to have to eat and leave" Ron looked at her " your not staying here?" he asked.  
Was that a look of disappointment in her eyes.  
"I promised my mum I was going to go home and tell her my results…" hermione trailed off.  
"do you have to go home can't you come back?" he asked her as she helped him in to his wheelchair.  
She squeezed his shoulder as she started pushing him in to the kitchen.  
"I'll come see you tomorrow." "you had better" he said as she sat down next to him at the table, Harry was already deep in conversation with ginny by this point. Hermione loaded up a plate and headed for the stairs. Ron stared at the bottom of the stairs till she came back.  
She smiled at him , he didn't want her to go home. What if he had another one of the nightmares? She wouldn't be their when he woke up… but she needed to see her family, and the burrow was a lot further from her house than the hospital.  
" Fred say's thanks" she said to Ginny as she sat down.  
"he opened the door?" " just a bit, he's taking it pretty well all things considered" said hermione, looking at ron from the corner of her eye.  
" he need to go back to work" said mr Weasley from the head of the table.  
" he needs his brother to talk to " said Ginny looking at Ron.  
"as soon as I can get up the stairs I will ok." he pushed his sandwich around on his plate.  
Hermione took hold of his arm and looked at his watch, ron noticed the scars on her arms as her white shirt lifted slightly, he never once asked her if she was alright, how much of git was he.  
"I have to go" she said hugging him then walking around and hugging harry and ginny. She walked down the table and gave mr Weasley a hug.  
"I have an idea about that thing we were talking about this morning give me a day an ill have it sorted." " really?" " trust me " she said smiling at him .  
Ron watched her as she turned to say bye to them all, she gazed at him for a few seconds longer than everyone else.  
" we'll I'll see you all tomorrow I guess" she said as she walked out the front door.  
" how is she?" " apperateing" answered ginny " she passed her test whilst you were out of it" Ron just stared.  
"like you really thought that she wouldn't pass that first time.." said Harry grinning at him.  
"true" shrugged ron as his eyes fall back to the door.  
"you know… I think he's going to be unbearable for a bit" said Charlie walking in the room at that very moment.  
"who is " " you ." he said filling Hermione's vacant seat. "little bro I need a chat with you …"

Hermione paced her room. She didn't like to leave Ron like that but she had to she needed to get her head around a few things. It wasn't as if they didn't know that they liked each other . It was more case that they never acted on it , what with the threat of Voldemort, having to constantly worry about harry, then the death of Ron's mum and then bill, now George, it just didn't seam to be the best time, so feelings had been cast to the back, Ron needed her as a friend nothing more nothing less, just someone to be their.  
If only he had asked her to the Yule ball all this could have been so different, but if he had asked her would they still be together? Would they sill even be friends? She some how doubted it.  
Ron had changed so much in the last three years, ever since the triwizard tournament he had been so much more grown up, able to talk and listen, that summer in grimwald place had been a turning point, scared but not alone. The amount of times they had sat in awkward silences not knowing what to do, hermione remembered every awkward moment as if it were yesterday.  
Cleaning out the cupboard's being so close that it made goose bumps creep across her flesh, bumping head's as they reached for stuff.  
She remembered cleaning Sirius's brothers room going through all the stuff in one of his trunks. Something that the trunk had taken a bit of an offence at , it had slammed down hard on Hermione's hand, she instinctively looked down, her hand had no mark now but it was so painful at the time., Ron had taken her hand to look at it, it wasn't a big thing but it was the first time he had initiated contact between them. He had looked at her hand then up at her, "you'll live" he had joked but never once let go of her hand, their faces had been so close, she sighed as she remembered. That could have been it that could have been the moment. But the owl's from dumbeldore had arrived telling of Harry's dimentor attack and they had been jolted back to reality, but the fights had become less since that point, as if ron new that they had crossed that line and that they almost knew where they stood.  
He was happy to let hermione go off on one take control, and she was happy to listen to him encourage harry with stupid ideas and for her to Bite her tongue and not yell at him . But late night prefect duties had been hard. Occasionally Ron would let his guard slip and reach out for her, taking her hand in the corridor, she still didn't know if he did it intentionally or if it was just a natural reaction to some of the situations that they were in, but she never once complained, never once told him to let go, he somehow made her feel safe.  
But now that the war was over where did that leave them ? Did ron still feel the same way as he did that day they had made their non verbal agreement? They were eighteen now… would there outlooks be so different from the scared fourteen year olds they used to be.  
Devoid of her usual persuit when her brain fell on the idea of ron ( homework and long essays on whatever her topic of choice was ) she continued pacing until her parents returned home.

" hermione dear are you ok?" asked her dad as she walked down in to the hallway. Hermione nodded and took the shopping bag's from her mum.  
" are you sure you look like you want to say something" her dad continued.  
"leave her alone" said her mum opening the fridge door and starting to put things away neetley in their place. " so what were your results?" Hermione filed her mother in on her results, to which hermiones mother gave almost the same sort of shreek that hermione herself had given.  
" how did harry and ron do ?" Hermione smiled inspite of herself as she told them about how well ron had done and how he had surpassed his wildest dreams, and how hermione thought that he was thinking of becoming a n auror when he got better.  
"so how did harry do?" asked her father smiling at her mam.  
" you seem to have forgotten to mention him in all this talk of a certain red headed friend of yours" said her mother smiling.  
Hermione went red. " harry did well" she smiled looking down at her feet. " he failed potions but that was to be expected really" Her mother walked back over and hugged her.  
" so have you decided what you want to do now?" Hermione looked at her mother, her mum wouldn't laugth it was in a code or something wasn't it that their not aloud to laugh at you right?" "I was thinking that maybe I could become an auror" she said hesitantly.  
" are you sure about that?" "yeah … I mean it's not as if I haven't got first hand experience of working with dark wizards, I spent that last seven years as a member of the best defence against the dark art's group going …" "aren't all aurors a little weird?" asked her dad as they sat at the kitchen counter. Hermione smiled her dad was talking about mad eye and tonks.  
"tonks is just eccentric, but yeah mr moody is a bit mad, but their not all like that honest." " and you're doing this because you really want to be an auror? You sure it's not just because ron wants to be an auror as well?" Hermione nodded. "and if I'm totally unless as an auror I might try my hand at healing or teaching but I have to at least give it a a go right?" "the decision is all yours, but make sure you make the right ones" She thought about it in her head for the rest of the night ok so maybe it was a little to do with ron , but only a little.

* * *

Ron sat on his bed reading a book, Harry watched him with curiosity for two reasons, one this is ron were talking about two this wasn't a book about quidditch this was a proper book with long words and everything.  
"ron?" " yeah mate?" "what you reading?" " book about aurors why?" " just wondering" " you want to lend it when im finished with it ?" ron said lifting the massive tomb.  
"what in six years time?" Ron laughed, it sounded good to here him laugh it was the first time in a long time.  
Mr Weasley knocked at their door .  
"yep?" " you have a visitor." Harry and Ron looked expectantly at the door. The last person they ever expected to see was standing their.  
"Malfoy?" "hey Weasley." " what the hell are you doing here." " I thought I'd come see how the two of you were" "why?" said harry , just because someone fights with you doesn't make you their friend. Harry still didn't trust Malfoy as far as he could throw him.  
" my mother found this when she was cleaning " malfoy said throwing something on to the bottom of harrys bed. Harry picked it up.  
" what is it" " that black guy when he was a kid , I figured you might want it what with , I figured that it might mean something to you I know how memories can be important." Ron sat on the bed looking at malfoy he hadn't said anything but now… " how's your dad?" " he's got no idea who I am" Malfoy said looking away from the two of them.  
"it's not nice is it…" " I already made my apologies with Longbottom, I shouldn't have to make them to you as well" " he didn't ask you to." "I only came to see if you were both ok, tell granger I came over will you ." Ron made to get up but his leg was in no way to support him , but he cradled his wand .  
"don't you ever speak about her" he warned.  
"Weasley get over it, in your state of un conscious you missed a lot of things… you should ask her about it some times let her get you up to speed, or are you still working on that one sided relationship where you do all the taking and non of the giving?" " what is that supposed to mean?" Harry looked between the two of them. This could turn ugly , in fact he was pretty sure that it was going to.  
"just saying I wish someone had stood by my bed constantly when I was out of it, your lucky, she obviously cares a lot for you , for the both of you " Ron stood staring at him mouth slightly open.  
" draco I think you should go" said ginny following the argument in to the room,  
"see you later" he said following ginny back out.  
" the conceited git" said ron staring at the door.  
" he had a point" said harry laying back on his bed.  
" your taking his side?" " no im just saying maybe you should listen to hermione some times instead of doing the love sick puppy routine" If ron could have gotten up and punched Harry he would have.

Harry and ron ate breakfast in the garden with ginny when the post had arrived, several owl's all addressed to harry , ron had laughed that it was his fan mail. Fair enough some of it was but the yellow and orange one certainly wasn't neither was the green and black one or the red and blue.  
" harry ?" asked ginny as he read the letters over again for the second time just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. He handed them to ginny.  
"they want you to try out?" "what?" Ron stared at him with his mouth open " cannons? Harry you have to play for the cannons" Harry just re read the letters that ron had just handed back to him.  
"how did they?" " they must have seen you fly at some point" "harry you have to take one of them if they offer this isn't the sort of offer they give anybody" said ginny, buttering herself some toast. " plus it would be cool to know a proper quidditch player." " you know krum" harry braced himself for the usual torent of abuse that ron spouted whenever krum was mentioned but ron managed to keep it down to a dull roar today.  
"I don't know krum , hermione knows krum" ( ron almost choked on his toast, " honestly ron get over it") "but if you were a quidditch player well I'd find that fantastic" she smiled at him .  
" oh you would now?" " yeah I would" Beside them ron muttered something about getting a room. "sorry we can't all be bitter and twisted like you Ronald" said ginny smiling serenely at her brother.  
"what is that supposed to mean?" " nothing ron" said ginny smiling at harry who was doing his best to control the tirades of laughter he felt brewing.  
" so what's the plan of action for today" he finaly managed to say when he calmed himself down enough".  
Both ron and ginny shrugged.  
All this free time and nothing to do with it.

* * *

Hermione woke late that day, something that was a very un hermione thing to do , after selecting what she thought was the right sort of outfit she went down for breakfast.  
"morning" she said to her mother as she made herself some cereal .  
" what you going to do today?" her mother asked her.  
" I thought I might go down diagon ally and get harry's birthday present, then I thought I'd call in to the ministry to see tonks." " your not going to see ron and harry?" Hermione distracted herself with the back of the cerial box. That was precisely the reason she wanted to go do the other things she was determined that her ron fixation was not going to rule her life.  
"maybe later but I wan't to see how soon they take in the new batch of trainee aurors." Her mother servayed her closely." "I know I don't know much about the way you live your life, but are you really sure that you want to be doing that." "mum, trust me ok."

After a quick drop in to see Angelina and how the joke shop was doing, hermione made her way down to the quidditch supply shop to see if their was anything new in the window that might do for harry's birthday, she got way laid by shamus Finnegan for steps from the door.  
"hermione?" he said looking at her.  
" do I really look that different out of my robes?" she questioned.  
"no but it's weird to see you with out the dastardly duo, where are they?" " at home recuperating , or at least they were last time I checked." hermione said as the two of them walked in to the shop talk turned to their results. Shamus had done almost as good as they had charms still let him down…. " that might have something to do with me setting fire to the desk though".  
.. He was planning on taking a n intern ship as a junior healer at st mungos.  
" did you hear about hogwarts?" he asked her as she picked up a copy of quidditch teams of great Britain.  
" what about hogwarts?" she said looking at him .  
" apparently according to me mam their going to close it down , their was to much damage caused when … thingy happened" Hermione nodded slowly. " yeah ron's dad told me the other day, it doesn't seam right though , their has to be something we can do." As they headed out in to the lazy afternoon sun and down to the small coffee shop on the corner , the two of them held a deep conversation about how to raise funds to repair the place.  
" you know we could just do it ourselves?" said shamus as he flicked a sugar cube at a passing hag.  
" what the two of us?" said hermione.  
" for the smartest witch I know sometimes you can be so thick, no I mean us as a general consensus. I mean how about if we get everyone together that can help and fix hogwarts ourselves?" She eyed shamus curiously " that's not to bad an idea you got their " Shamus pointed to his head " not just a hat stand" " you doing anything this afternoon?" "wishing I could own a fire bolt?" "come on were going to go see mr Weasley"

Ron almost had a heart attack as hermione came barging in , demanding to use pig.  
"what do you need him for? And hello?" " hi ron and I need him to send a letter to krum" Ron balled his hands in to fists but managed to keep his voice calm,  
"what do you want to do that for and of course you can lend pig…" " thank you Ron and I need to write to Krum because im trying o save hogwarts from closure and I need all the help that I can get… including you so get yourself in to the kitchen and looking at the lists , your good with maps right?" she said smiling at him as pig few down from the top of the wardrobe and landed on ron's shoulder.  
" I guess but…" " no buts I have to have the castle back in to habitable condition by august 29th." " hermione that's less than four weeks away" " precisely why I nee help…Harry and Ginny are already working out priorities, I need you to look at plans shamus is rounding up as many students and ex students to help as he can, your dad gave us accesses to the school records. .. Their interesting reading… so I need you to asses the damage and figure out who will be best at what …" " and what are you going toi do ?" " im going to get fred out of his room … I need someone who's outstanding at charm work and seeing as one of the only things that remained in tack was the swamp that Fred and George created I figure that person could well be your brother." Ron had just about time to marvel at how organised hermione was being before a crash in the kitchen heralded the arrival of Neville and Luna, they had both appeared in to the water buckets outside the door.  
"sorry" came the voice of Neville through the door as ginny got up to go help them . Hermione laughed lightly behind Ron he tipped his head back to look at her.  
"hermione I think you might have created a campaign that will work, just don't giv e it a name like spew ok." he said smiling at her.  
She lent on the back of his chair tiping it on to the back wheels. And lent over him.  
" its not spew Ronald its S.P.E.W" she said but she was joking with him , her eyes were full of laughter.  
"we'll" he said as she tiped him back on to all four wheels.  
"im going to go try talk Fred out of his room. You want to find something for luna and Neville to do?" He nodded before watching her walk up the stairs.

The six of them had sat their all day working with their list's occasionally a owl would sweep in and drop a note on Hermione's lap which would confirm another wand in the proceedings.  
As it grew dark outside luna and Neville left them to just four , when ron's stomach grumbled loudly harry and ginny took it upon themselves to make tea.  
"fred not budging then?" ron asked hermione as she added the last two names to the list of volunteers.  
"I'll try again before we go to hogwarts tomorrow." "you should leave him you know." "I would if we didn't need him " "I know." " theirs so many names missing from this list" said hermione as she glanced down the parchment in her hand.  
Ron scanned the parchment, his eyes fell on a name close to the top of the list.  
" Malfoy?" " he wants to help ron" "yeah right." "he does" said hermione quietly.  
" a snake might shed its skin but its still a slimy git underneath" " ron" "we'll he is , coming around here asking after you " "Malfoy came around here?" " said he had come to see how me and harry were." "that was nice of him" Ron stared at her.  
"well it was ron you cant deny that." "why are you defending him all of a sudden, he made your life hell, what did he do to suddenly be your golden boy" ron almost spat but to his own surprise he still wasn't shouting, he was still relatively calm.  
" what did he do?" asked hermione.  
"he said that I'd missed things when I was knocked out .. Hermione what happened?" Hermione turned to him .  
"like it or not you owe Malfoy big time , he saved both our life."


	5. scaring myself

Thank you to all the lovely people who reviewed my last posts , Saraneth90 good things come to thoughts who wait,

MmmMmmGood , thank you I think your comments were some of the nicest things anyone ever typed about me. thank you for the tips.

Dancerrdw , dragonslayer85 ,linsang ,glad your enjoying…

And now on with the story, hopefully with fewer spelling and grammar mistakes this time but I can't promises anything… ;).

* * *

"He did what?"

" He saved our lives"

Ron stared at her, was she lying? He had never heard Hermione tell him a outright lie, if she didn't want to tell him something she just wouldn't tell him.

"What happened when I was knocked out"

Hermione took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.

"When you got hit by that last curse that Wormtail threw at you , you went down pretty bad, you banged your head , I was cornered then Malfoy turned up, Malfoy senior that is, he started spouting out how he was hoping that it was going to be him that got to finish the two of us off, the mud blood and the blood traitor"

Hermione's hands were shaking as she relived the memory.

"He raised his wand to us the caracticus curse on the two of us , I just remember thinking this is it this is the last time I'm ever going to see Ron, this is the last person I'm ever going to see, I had no chance of fighting the curse, not by myself. But I wasn't going to stand by and watch him kill you I had to fight, just as he shouted the curse I shouted the counter curse, but I wasn't the only one, Draco had been watching his dad from the rubble, the strength of the two counter curses together made the affects rebound on Malfoy. It wasn't nice to watch, but Draco did. Soon after that Fred turned up and so did a few other death eaters, me and Draco dragged you to one side, and we kept on fighting, in the end when it came down to it Draco was on our side."

Ron stared at her his mouth slightly open…

"it's true Fred seen the whole thing he told me about it in the hospital" said Ginny as she passed a cup of tea to her brother who was completely oblivious to the fact that his sister was in the room.

"but why ? Malfoy hates us …"

"That's what I said to him, later when we were on our way to the hospital, I asked him why he helped us , why help us when you hate us?,."

" What did he say?"

"He said it was a choice he had to make, one his dad had made easy enough for him." she sighed, "it's true though everything comes down to choices, I'm just glad that for once Draco made his own choice."

Ron sat staring at the table for a bit, so Draco had saved his life, he owed him, it was wizarding bond, he didn't want to be in dept to Malfoy, that thought was soon drowned out of his head as he began thinking about what hermione had said. 'I just remember thinking this is the last time I'm ever going to see Ron' the last time she was ever going to see him , not Harry not Ginny, him. He looked up at her she was staring absentmindedly out of the window.

"Harry tell hermione about the letters you got this morning" said Ginny trying to change the atmosphere of the room.

* * *

Mr Weasley had come home and gone to bed, Charlie had soon followed but sat on the big red sofa in the living room poring over paper work, occasionally he would offer advice to hermione who was loosing spectacularly at wizarding chess to Ron . Harry and Ginny sat talking about Harry's choices and which team he would be best to play for. To which Charlie started remaining about his day's as seeker, they sat listening to Charlie for quite some time. So late in to the night in fact that when hermione checked her watch it was way past midnight. When she pointed this out to Ron he looked at her weird.

"Can I stop here?" she asked him.

"And their was me thinking that it was only Harry that asked stupid questions" said Ron.

Hermione smiled at him.

" That's a yes then?"

"Yeah, you can stop in my room since I'm stranded on the ground floor" he shrugged.

"You sure?"

"Yeah , Ginny will lend you something to sleep in I'm sure, you might want to watch out for the fish tank though I haven't had a chance to get up their and clean it yet I'm not sure what's going to be living in their."

"We'll as long as it's not anything to nasty" she said sighing, " I suppose I can deal with it"

"Not anything nasty? Are you talking about my brothers hygiene habits?" asked Charlie stretching .

"Yeah Charlie that was what we were talking about" said Ron rolling his eyes.

"We'll I think I'm off to bed, oh yeah before I forget Hermione." he said looking at her , she smiled at him, she had come to the conclusion that their was defiantly something in the water at the burrow that made all the Weasley man look so good. " dad set up a port key so you can get this lot to hogwarts tomorrow, seeing as non of them have passed their apparition test."

"That's not fair I was unconscious for three weeks it's not my fault I missed it" said Ron trying to defend himself.

"trying to defeat the dark lord?" offered Harry.

"not old enough" said Ginny smiling " so you can't hold that against me." despite the fact that she came of age this year.

Hermione laughed as she watched Ginny pretend to act young and innocent.

Charlie laughed, Charles laugh was deep and rough like Ron's.

"We'll I'll see you in the morning then."

They said their good nights to Charlie, Ron yawning as he did so.

" You need to go to bed to" said Hermione almost scalding him.

" Yes miss" he said looking her in the eye, he kept eye contact for a bit, Hermione's insides did that squirm that she always felt these days. She felt something move across her hand.

"Hello Crookshanks " said Ron looking down at the big ginger cat. " you been chasing gnomes?" he asked him.

Hermione picked her cat up and hugged it.

"Hermione has a thing for ugly ginger creatures" they heard Harry whisper to Ginny who started giggling like mad.

" I heard that" said hermione looking across at Harry.

" you were supposed to" he said raising an eyebrow at her in a knowing way.

"we'll I'm going to take my ugly ginger creature to bed if you don't mind" she said standing up and holding Crookshanks tighter. " Ginny can I borrow some p.j's?"

* * *

" thanks for that Harry" said Ron glaring at his so called best friend.

"just getting a bit of my own back , remember what you were like with Cho?"

Ron made a hand gesture that would make his mother turn in her grave.

" I was fifteen Harry"

"but it's not nice is it, being embarrassed in front of someone you like"

" no it's not your right."

A look of triumph crossed Harry's face.

" so you admit it finally.."

Ron looked away from him, it wasn't that he didn't want to tell Harry, it was more the fact that he didn't want Harry and Ginny interfering, and he knew they would.

* * *

Hermione looked around Ron's room , the fish tank was empty which meant either someone had come cleaned it for him, or whatever had bread in their had escaped an was likely to pounce on her at any given moment , hermione hoped it was the first one.

Ron's room had under gone quite a large transformation since the last time she had been in it, the quidditch posters had been reduced to just three, sill all the cannons because that would never change, but around the room now were books on subjects that they would study if they wanted to become aurors, scabbers old cage was full of white mice and to Hermione's surprise the room was clean. Crookshanks jumped from her arms and curled up on Ron's bed.

" guess you feel at home around him then" she said sitting down on the bed next to Crookshanks and stroking him behind the ears. He purred lightly.

It wasn't that she was tired, it was more that Harry had embarrassed her, why did he have to do that?

It wasn't as if she pointed out the fact that he liked Ginny at every given moment and teased them.

They were adults, we'll her and Ron were, apparently Harry was taking the fact that he wasn't 18 yet very seriously indeed.

"why are men weird?" she asked Crookshanks as she got changed in to the red p.j's that Ginny had given her. She lay back on Ron's bed and looked at the clock that was on his tattered and beaten bed side cabinet. A picture of the three of them standing by the fountain in the yard at hogwarts looked back at her from beside the clock . She couldn't remember it being taken. She watched the figures Harry rested casually on the fountain his robes almost hanging in to the water . He was laughing at something as the snow fell around them, but what Harry was laughing at didn't interest her, she was busy looking at her and Ron. Ron kept taking her by the hand and wrapping his arms around her.

Hermione had seen something like this happen only once before, pictures usually move that wasn't anything new but they normally just wave to the viewer, or carry out the actions that the subject was doing at the time, the only time hermione had seen the subject do anything totally different was in the picture of Harry and Lockhart where Harry was trying to escape from the frame, could it be that some times photos show what the people were thinking at the time, as well as there actions? And if so did this prove that Ron still liked her?

Her head hurt.

Give her advanced arithmansy over this any day.


	6. obviouse

i know this dosen't sound like it should follow on from the last chapter but it does honest. just thinkof it as my homage to goblet of fire's first chapter.

as ever i don't own harry potter or any of the other funky fantstic charecters.

enjoy.

* * *

Hydiki watched Remus from across the office, he occasionally looked up and smiled at her but the look's were few and far between she sighed and lay back in her chair.

" you're so readable you do know that don't you?" said tonks from the desk next to her. Hydiki pushed her dark brown hair out of her eye's and looked at her best friend.

" yeah we'll it's in the genes right?" she said adjusting her chair slightly so she could see him through the crack in the cubicles.

"obsessed" said tonks her hair long and blue today.

"yeah but it's a nice sort of obsession"

" he's almost old enough to be your dad" said tonks as she read a file on her latest case.

"like that bothers me" Hydiki smiled as she thought about it ." by the way hermione called in yesterday to see you"

"yeah?"

" she wanted to know when we were taking in a new trainee class."

" what did you say?" said tonks her eyes looking at Hydiki with intent.

" told her I wasn't sure."

"good, I have to run it past Arthur anyway. I mean I can't understand why Harry wasn't on the list."

" I was talking to Ludo this morning, some how I don't think Harry will be to bothered. puddlemere, cannons and the bats all want to sign him."

Tonks whistled, " your right I wouldn't want to turn down that to come work here" she gestured around at the mess that passed for aura headquarters.

"I'll still mentor Hermione if you want." Hydiki smiled "she's smart she'll be wasted at this job but I'll take her as my trainee."

" and I'll take Ron if his dad thinks he's up to it"

"Ron will be up to it if your taking on Hermione" said Remus as he leant on the make shift door way to Hydiki and Tonk's quarters. Hydiki nearly fell of her seat at being directly addressed.

"they haven't killed each other yet?" tonks asked ignoring Hydiki's embarrassing predicament.

" what? They haven't had enough free time to do any sort of permanent damage yet, although hermione has already started the crusade to save hogwarts, didn't shamus's owl get to you ?"

Tonk's pushed several piles of paper around on the desk till she found the envelope. She waved it at Remus.

" I'm going over this after noon if you want to come along" he said wandering off.

" we'll be their" tonks said after him.

"he is gorgeous." said Hydiki picking herself up of the floor.

" and you are deluded."

* * *

Ron watched as Hermione organised everyone in to groups to work on separate parts of the castle, toughs not of age that had offered to help ran around trying to clean some of the mess left in the death eaters path of destruction. Dobby and the house elf's had already made a start on the dormitory's, so that meant slightly less work.

Ron was busy trying to repair the giant hour glasses that stored the house points, hermione watched him from the table she had set up by the front doors, Susan bones and Padama were trying to fix the front doors Padama was wearing the same sort of dazed look that Fred had been walking around with since George had died, Ron had felt the lump forming as they had talked earlier, nether of them sure how they were coping but somehow coping all the same.

Professor Flitwick walked around supervising the situation , at around three pm snape turned up and headed down to the dungeons, he nodded curtly to Hermione as he walked through the door, he no longer needed to treat them as students but chose to treat them as equals. Something that surprised Ron. Snape didn't have to do it but he chose to , Ron and Hermione had both exchanged significant looks when that had happened.

As it began to grow dark and become dangerous to continue working, people began to make their way home. Hermione had arranged for the four of them to stay at the three broomsticks for a few nights, Madam Rosmerter had been kind enough to let them have the rooms for free, seeing as how it was for a good cause.

* * *

As Ron watched the last of the people head down the school driveway, he began to wheel himself around to the lake, the crunch on the gravel behind him told him he wasn't alone.

" you don't have to follow me everywhere you know Hermione"

"what if I want to ?" she said softly.

"then I guess theirs nothing I can do to stop you then." he said as he gazed out across the lake, h could here the womping willow in the distance, his stomach did a sickening flip as he thought of George.

"are you ok?"

"no Hermione I'm not ok but I'm surviving" he said quietly.

" you know I'm always here for you right" he heard her say , her voice sounded cracked.

"I know".

The sound of the gravel indicated that she was coming over.

" I feel so useless I can't do much to help"

" you're here and that's all that maters." she said leaning on the side of his chair.

" I couldn't even get a simple repair spell right today , what was all that about H?"

Hermione smiled at him , she took hold of his hand.

" why do you think I sat behind that desk for the best part of a day?, it was weird to be back here… their was so many people I kept expecting to see, but they just weren't their, everyone felt it , you weren't the only one."

Ron stared down at his lap.

" I don't know how Fred's coping, did you see Padama?"

Hermione nodded. And rested her head on Ron's good leg.

" you know I didn't think it would be this hard to come back here." he said . " I don't know how Ginny will be able to stand being here for another year."

"tomorrow were taking down the willow" said Hermione quietly.

Ron said nothing, but Hermione felt him try and hold back the tears, she wished he would just cry, he shouldn't have to bottle up all the emotions he had to be feeling . If he could just cry they would be on the road to acceptance.

"Ron?" she said lifting her head to look at him . He had his eyes closed. She just sat looking at him holding on to his hand, she looked away , then she felt him squeeze her hand.

"thank you"

"what for?"

"being here for me I do appreciate it you know…" he smiled weakly at her.

"we'll Harry doesn't need me anymore does he, he doesn't really need either of us…" she trailed off.

Ron stared at her …

" I guess he won't mind if I need you for a while then?" he said.

" can't see why not"

Hermione was about to say something when Ginny's voice carried across the night air.

* * *

They sat around the bar at the three broomsticks , Harry had watched the way that Hermione had moved around Ron she used a great deal of attention as if she didn't want to scare him , Ginny giggled beside Harry,

" she likes being his nurse way to much" said Ginny quietly to Harry so that tonks couldn't hear.

Harry silently agreed.

Ron sat next to Hermione on the sofa , tonks soon joined them, her friend that they hadn't been introduced to also accompanied her.

"Ron Hermione this is Hydiki , she's my partner at work."

"we met the other day" said Hermione shaking Hydiki's hand.

" we'll I've got some news for the pair of you" said tonks. Looking at them both.

" you have?"

" yeah I have , don't look so shocked Ron."

Ron didn't realise he did.

" each year when the N.E.W.T results come in the ministry makes a short list of thoughts that did we'll enough to get on to the aura training program, but obviously you Hermione already knew that. ( Hermione nodded) we'll both your names were on it, so if you want me and Hydiki would like to take you on as our apprentices."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"your serious?" asked Hermione.

" that 's what you wanted wasn't it?" tonks smiled at her.

" we'll yeah but…"

" I never knew you wanted to be an aura." said Ron looking at Hermione as if he had just discovered some deep dark secret that changed her personality.

"yeah " said Hermione blushing.

" so is that a yes?" asked Hydiki. Hermione nodded.

"Ron?" asked tonks.

" when do we start" he asked smiling from ear to ear.

Conversation dissolved in to talk of the sort of things that they would be learning and what they would have to do , including the fact that they would have to both be in London .

" we don't need your answer right away , just think about it for a bit" said tonks getting up and signalling for Hydiki to follow. Ron turned to Hermione when they were alone.

"I guess this is a big decision, I mean I really want to be an aura but…"

" what's the but? there is no room for a but in this Ron."

"what about Harry ?"

"Harry doesn't need us anymore, he's fine the way he is , we have to start living for us" said Hermione .

" for us?" asked Ron had that been a fraudulent slip?

" I meant for ourselves " Hermione corrected herself. But he could have sworn she checked to see his reaction.

"we'll if we do take it we're going to have to start looking for somewhere to stay in London."

" we are?" Hermione .

" like I'm letting you stay by yourself , do you know how many weirdoes there are in London?"

"yes Sir Cadogan?" said Hermione jokingly.

" oh well if you want to be alone in the big city with no friends…"

" I was joking Ron, it's not as if I'm likely to get any better offers."

" there are plenty of people that would love to live with me."

" yeah their the weirdoes you were talking about" said Hermione noticing for the first time that she was leaning on Ron .she went to move but Ron stopped her.

"if you move I'll get cold" he lied .

" can't have that can we." Hermione said resting herself back on his side.

They sat watching the others for a bit, occasionally Harry would look over to se what they were up to, but he would soon return to his conversation with Ginny,

" think he's ever going to ask my sister out" Ron asked her.

" eventually."

"suppose so, I mean I wouldn't mind if Harry went out with her , I mean that Michel was a pain in the ass , but Harry I suppose I could deal with that."

Hermione sighed, they had had this conversation before when they were on prefect duty. It always ended up with Ron saying if Harry ever hurt his sister he would kill him , and Hermione laughing at the thought of Ron even trying.

"I'm tired I think I'm going to go to bed" said Hermione as Ron ended his rant with exactly the word's Hermione had predicted.

" don't " said Ron as they watched the last of the guests leave for their room's.

"I'm tired, and I need to put refinishing touches to Harry's birthday present."

"stay a bit longer" Ron insisted .

Hermione gave in to his pleading and sat back down.

"so when is Krum coming over?" he asked her.

" tomorrow." she said .

" so will you be happy to see him"

"course I will he's my friend Ron"

" that's not what I meant Hermione" said Ron .

" I know what you meant Ron , we've had the Krum conversation before. It always ends up with you not believing a word I say."

" I still can't believe that nothing happened between the two of you."

" we'll nothing did "

" but he's a world famous quidditch player…"

"and if I was only after people that were famous I would go out with Harry right… sometimes I wonder if your not related to Rita Skiter."

"but you went to se him in Bulgaria I know you did…"

" and I was their for two days…Ron we went over this a million times when I came back from Bulgaria, Krum liked me and I thought I liked Krum but the entire time I was their all I did was talk about you , you know this , I've told you , you know the reason that nothing happened between me and Krum was you …why do I have to constantly remind you ?"

Ron grinned at her .

" because i like it when you get angry , it lets me know that everything's alright between us, we were getting a bit serious back their and we hadn't fought in a good few months that's not normal."

Hermione found herself grinning back.

"you're a git"

"oh you know it" he said.

" but why always the Krum argument?" she asked him .

He looked at her , oh well now was as good a time as any.

"cause I like to here that you used to like me Hermione, why else." he said she looked away and went red.

" you like to make fun of me"

"yeah there's that as well." he shrugged, she hadn't gotten the hint.

The two of them sat in silence for a bit.

" want to help me in to my chair?" he asked her and she obliged, she wheeled him to his door.

" we'll night then " she said.

"night h" he said before she leant down and kissed him on the cheek.

" sweet dreams"


	7. from the embers

**_Thank you for all your lovely reviews! I only noticed after I posted that my spell check had changed the words auror to aura and changed Seamus to Shamus because I have it saved to the computer like that sorry!_**

**_I'm having way to much fun writing this fic , I keep getting told of for neglecting some of my other's !_**

**_But anyway on with the story that's what you want right._**

**_As ever: only the plot is mine, oh and the character Hydiki who's straight out of one of my own story's._**

* * *

Harry rubbed his cheek , it wasn't that he wasn't enjoying all the attention that everyone was giving him on his birthday, it was more the fact that he couldn't understand why so many girls insisted on kissing him on the cheek.

" you don't mind if I don't kiss you do you Harry?" joked Shamus as he shook Harry's hand.

Harry laughed.

" I don't mind but I think Neville might insist on it" he said nodding over at Neville who was busy getting the exact same treatment over on the other side of the court yard.

Krum laughed deeply .

"that was funny" he said nodding at Harry.

"Harry's a funny sort of guy" said Ginny smiling over the top of the fountain that she was busy trying to mend.

Krum made his excuses and went of in search of Hermione. Ginny wandered over to Harry's side, not that she was rarely away from their theses days.

"wonder how Ron's going to take the arrival of Krum?" she asked.

" probably going to totally over react"

" good I could do with some entertainment" said Ginny grinning menacingly.

"wonder what they were talking about with tonks last night" Harry said as he levitated the last part of the fountain back in to place.

" I don't know but it looked serious" said Ginny.

The two of them stood back to observe their handy work.

" I AM NOT OVER REACTING" came the voice of Ron as he wheeled himself in to the court yard followed shortly by Hermione , who was looking a little red in the face.

"I am not going to fight with you hear and now Ron"

" funny it never used to bother you who heard our arguments, what changed"

Hermione stood their looking a bit like a fish.

Around the court yard all eyes were on them, no one felt bad about overseeing Weasley , granger fights, it wasn't like you were ever really hearing anything different to the arguments that most of the school hadn't been witness to a million times before.

Harry and Ginny positioned themselves on the wall of the newly fixed fountain ready for the show.

But it didn't come.

Hermione turned on her heals and left. Ron sat glaring at the wall.

" we'll that's never happened before" Ginny said turning to Harry.

"should we go see if he's ok ?" Harry said looking over at his best friend.

"leave him" said Ginny pulling Harry back down on to the fountain. " he's got to learn that shouting isn't going to work things out between the two of them"

Harry shrugged . What could he do ? Ron could never control his jealousy , that was one of the things that made him Ron .

"come on lets go get a drink" said Ginny grabbing him by the arm and away from Ron.

* * *

Hermione slammed the door to the girls bathroom and kicked the sink.

"it only works if you do that weird hissing noise that Harry makes" offered moaning myrtle as she floated absentmindedly above the cubicle nearest the door.

" I don't want to go in that place" said Hermione jumping slightly.

" oh just wondering" said myrtle.

Hermione wished she would stop staring at her.

" what you doing here anyway , isn't it the school holidays?"

" were fixing the school up, the death eaters destroyed it"

" oh is that what all that noise was ?"

"you didn't see it?"

" I was in the lake…"

"but I thought you only ended up in the lake if someone flushed the toilet ? No one ever comes in here"

" oh that 's right, myrtle's got no friends has she."

" that's not what I meant"

" I know" said myrtle "but I wasn't here , I was in the prefects bathroom, trying to scare that cow pansy Parkinson"

Hermione laughed in spite of herself.

" did it work?"

" of course" myrtle said giving Hermione an uncharacteristic smile.

" thanks myrtle"

" what for?"

" cheering me up , I just had a fight with Ron"

" you and Ron fight? Never"

" was that sarcasm?" asked Hermione.

" it was meant to be , I was never very good at it, what did you fight about this time?"

"Krum"

" oh. " said myrtle in a knowing voice. "I see"

Hermione rubbed her temples she could feel a nasty headache coming on .

"recon theirs any room in your toilet for me ?" asked Hermione hopelessly.

" sorry reserved for Harry I'm afraid"

Their was knock at the door.

"see who that is will you?" Hermione asked myrtle, who absentmindedly floated through the wall, on her return she whistled.

"red headed man at one o'clock" she said smiling.

" Ron ?"

" it's not Ron, not unless he's completely changed since last time is seen him"

" is he in wheel chair"

Myrtle shook her head.

Hermione cautiously walked towards the door and opened it .

" I hear theirs a tree that need's payback" said a exhausted looking Fred Weasley .

They had stood around and watched as Fred threw the last remaining branches of the now dead willow tree on to the fire.

Angelina walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

No one was quite sure what to say.

Fred's sudden arrival had thrown a few people especially Ron who now sat alone across from his brother watching the embers of the fire floating in to the air.

Hermione wanted to go over and tell the two of them it was all right they were aloud to cry , but neither Hermione or Angelina , quite knew what to say to them.

So they sat on the old dead wood from the forest and waited till they were ready to leave.

"Hermione?" said Krum sitting down next to her on the log.

Hermione smiled at him weakly.

"are you sure you can 'andle this?" he asked her.

"victor you know how I feel about this" Hermione said quietly but Angelina was listening,

" it's hard work being part of the Weasley family"

"trust me I know that"

"you love him don't you ?" asked Krum nodding at Ron.

Hermione stared at the fire for while before answering.

"I can't tell anymore, he infuriates me so much"

"but that's what keeps it interesting" said Angelina sighing as she watched Fred poking at the fire.

"or at least it was, I don't know what he's going to be like without George, it's going to be weird, even when I was alone with Fred he was always still connected with George"

"Ginny still cry's at night you know" said Hermione as she watched Ron look over and scowl at victor.

" she's not the only one, the Weasley's were like my family, are like my family, I just wish Ron would talk about it with me"

They sat in silence Krum made his excuses and left, leaving Angelina and Hermione alone.

"you have to tell him you know, I mean about how you feel" Angelina said as Fred started pushing Ron back towards the castle.

"we've got plenty of time, I mean I'm going to be living with him right."

"your what ? Since when?"

Hermione smiled, and shrugged.

"it's out of convenience , we have to be in London for our auror training"

"your …? Hermione you have a lot to fill me in on"

After a quick catch up Angelina smiled.

" he 'told' you , you were going to live together"

Hermione nodded,

Angelina grinned. "if that's not a sign that he wants you I don't know what is."

Hermione blushed.

"oh come on everyone knows you like each other, George was running a bet on when you would confess"

" that sounds like George"

The two of them looked down the path to where Fred and Ron were walking ahead of them.

"that family need some good news"

"I'm not rushing anything with Ron ok."

" Hermione your just scared because it's something you cant learn from a book, for once take a chance, don't you ever get sick of being perfect?"

"come on you two catch up" shouted Fred over his shoulder.

"his master beckons" Angelina. And she ran to catch the two of them up.

Hermione was left with the words of Angelina ringing in her ears.

But at least she had accomplished something today, no longer was victor the only person who knew how she felt about Ron , Angelina now knew, maybe being able to share it was the first step in actualy doing something about it.


	8. you make me want to lala

* * *

_thankyou to whoever it was that reminded me i had to get ron out of his wheelchair, this chapters dedicated to you for being a fab allaround grovey type person._

_love pez-lou_

* * *

Ron tentatively leaned on the crutches as the healer helped him to his feet, the shooting pain up his leg was unbearable, but he wasn't going to let anyone else know that, especially not Hermione and Ginny they would only fuss over him.

Hermione had hardly said anything to him in the week they had stayed up at Hogsmeed, she knew she had the upper hand, she had walked away from the fight, the fight that Ron couldn't understand why he had started, all Krum had done was give her a hug to say hello. He knew it was going to happen but still…

Their was always going to be that sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, the fact that Ron wasn't ever going to be good enough for her, why should she chose him over the likes of Krum?

"you can go now dear"

Said the witch , Ron had been completely unaware that she was standing looking at him, he thanked her and slowly mad his way to the entrance of the hospital to meet Fred.

Hermione watched as Ron made his way across the yard slowly on his crutches, she alone knew the extent of the damage to his leg, due to the fact that she had been resolute in her quest to stay with Ron until he woke up .

No amount of long word's used by the doctors was going to confuse her, she knew them , after all this is Hermione were talking about here.

All that quidditch training was finally getting put to good use as Ron used his upper body to move the crutches across the yard.

"so it went well then" Hermione asked Fred as he joined them at the table, Ron had gone straight inside not looking at Hermione .

"yeah we'll from what he would tell me."

" I wish he would speak to me"

"he'll come around , give him a chance, it's not as if you wont see each other everyday, he can't ignore you forever." said Ginny looking up from her copy of quidditch player monthly, bought for the fact that there was an article about Harry in it , Hermione had laughed at that much to the annoyance of Ginny.

"yeah I've been thinking about that" said Fred shaking his hair out of his eyes. " where are you going to stay?"

Hermione shrugged, Angelina hadn't wasted much time in telling the others about the auror training. sorting out accommodation was proving slightly difficult since Ron was still being a git.

"you know there's a empty flat above the joke shop, Mundungus only uses it to store his ' bargains' I mean I can have a word with him if you want"

Hermione smiled at him . " yeah that would be nice"

"your going to need furniture and stuff"

"mum and dad are going to help with that don't worry about it" said Hermione .

Ginny placed her magazine on the table .

" you know it's going to be weird , I mean I'm so used to seeing you all around school, getting shouted at by you for setting off dung bombs and you and my so called brother shouting , it's going to be a bit weird." said Ginny.

"it's not as if you won't see us , theirs still a bit of work to be done to some of the castle, me Ron and Harry ( Ginny smiled) will still be up at the castle at weekends and on our day's off."

"plus …" added Fred, " you have the Weasley legacy to live up to , since Ron turned out such a disappointment., I mean Head boy? Prefect?" he rested his hand on his sisters shoulder. " we can't let that be the image that tarnishes us forever"

All three of them dissolved in to laughter.

Pig landed on the window of Hermione's bedroom , at first she thought that Ron must have finally come to his senses , but then recognised Ginny's untidy scrawl on the parchment.

Hermione ,

Got my letter from hogwarts today,

Guess what ! They made me quidditch captain!

Dad's really happy, Fred stole my letter as soon as he saw my captain badge just to make sure that the head girl one wasn't in there to.

I think he would have disowned me.

Speaking of Fred, he says mundungus moved his stuff out yesterday so you and Ron can move your stuff in whenever you like.

I was wondering if you wanted to meet me and Ron in diagon ally and we can make a start on the flat?( and I can get my new books.)

Send your answer with pig.

Love Ginny.

P.s Harry has taken a place with puddlemere united, I don't know if hedwig got to you yet or not.

Hermione folded the letter up and put it in the book she was reading before pig had turned up.

She took the little owl in to the bathroom to get him a drink, it was hot outside despite the overcast sky's. Soon she heard the distinctive sound of hedwig landing on her desk carrying Harry's short but straight to the point letter about united, she took her quill and wrote to Ginny, saying that yes she would meet them at about dinner time in the leaky cauldron, and to tell Harry well done.

She tied the letter to pig and gave him an owl treat from the top draw of her desk ,where he was clawing gently.

" go on take it to Ginny" she said carrying the little bird to the window.

Hedwig turned her big doe eyes at her .

" now I need you to take a message to tonks for me, if you could?"

The owl bit her finger affectionately .

Hermione quickly wrote the note and tied it to the leg of the snowy owl.

"then go back to Harry ok " she said giving hedwig a treat. Hedwig hooted quietly and took off.

Hermione headed down stairs to talk with her parents.

The sun was finally breaking through the clouds as Hermione Ron and Ginny walked out on to Diagon ally, Ron watched as Hermione fidgeted with the waist band of her trousers. Ron couldn't help thinking that she must be uncomfortable in what she was wearing after all it was hot and the outfit looked really weird in a street full of wizard robes and shorts and t-shirts.

They headed quietly towards the shop only stopping to say hi to Luna when they saw her outside of the supplies shop.

When they got to the shop Fred greeted them and turned to Katie Bell who was leaning on the desk reading an article about her team-mates on the harpies.

"look after the shop for a bit" he said as he led the three of them through the back to the stairs..

Hermione looked at Ron.

" didn't think about that" she said looking at his crutches.

Ron smiled and with a loud crack disappeared and appeared at the top of the stairs.

" when did you ?" asked Hermione rushing up the stairs to him.

Ron saw Fred and Ginny grin at each other as they walked up the stairs.

"yesterday, I made Ginny not tell you " he said looking away from the look of shock on Hermione's face.

"that's great!" said Hermione beaming at him.

"dose this mean your speaking to him yet?" asked Fred squeezing himself past Ron and Hermione who were staring at each other.

" we weren't not speaking" said Ron.

"we never fight do we Ron?" said Hermione they both started laughing.

"you two need help" said Ginny pushing past them in to the flat.

The flat wasn't that big but it would be big enough for the two of them, it was a old house , part of the shop from downstairs' one wall of the living room was a old book shelf, the kitchen was evidently converted from a bedroom, the bathroom was a nice size but a putrid shade of lime green,

The two bedrooms and the living room overlooked the busy street below.

"what do you think?" asked fred.

"I think it's fantastic" said Hermione.

"when can we move in ?"asked Ron .

It took a grand total of a day to move their stuff in to the flat, helped along by anyone who could find some time to help out.

As soon as she had found out that Neville was helping Luna had insisted that she help too , even if the only thing she accomplished all day was to get Hermione to go a little red and proclaimed at the top of her voice that their was defiantly no such thing as the toilet dwelling snafilgator.

"it's an urban myth" she said slamming down the seventieth ( Ron had been counting) box of books on the kitchen floor.

"dad say's its real"

"it's a myth, and the word is alligator, my friend Kate used to believe in it when she was six, used to think that it would come out of the toilet when she was …busy" said Hermione.

" you know their might be some truth in it" said Ron leaning on the box's of book's. " it could be bit of mugglebating sounds like the sort of stuff dad used to get called out to all the time"

"see" said Luna smiling at Ron. " and people think I'm mad"

"no people know your mad, that's why we like you so much , your relatively normal around us lot" said Ginny as her and Harry carried the last of the crates up the stairs.

"anyway" shouted Harry over the resulting fight ( which Ron laughed all the way through) "what's next ?"

After setting all the others on their tasks , painting and cleaning, not to mention trying to lure whatever was living under the built in book case out of hiding, Hermione and Harry set to decorating Hermione's room, a supposedly calming shade of purple, Harry secretly thought it looked like one of his failed potions but didn't say it out loud Hermione looked stressed enough already.

" so how long dose this paint take to dry?"

" supposed to be really fast, Ron bought it from the shop on the corner"

They watched the rollers paint the wall whilst they drank their tea.

" so when dose you're season start?" asked Hermione, Harry smiled, despite the fact that Hermione's two best friends did nothing but talk about quid ditch 95 of the time she was still clueless when it came to trivial things such as when the season started.

"first match is 29th September, but my training starts on the 3rd"

"you looking forward to it?"

Harry thought about it for a bit.

" I guess I am, I mean this is something that I never thought I would get a chance to do , it's just going to be weird not being with you guy's all the time"

"you can always come and stop here any time you want you know" Hermione said passing him a custard cream , Harry eyed it worryingly.

" you're ok all the stock is present and accounted for in the shop" she said smiling.

" you don't think that Ginny and Fred wouldn't , given half the chance?"

"oh I know they would, but they know the consequences don't they"

They both laughed.

"it's going to be strange not having Ginny to talk to, not that I'll have you and Ron ganging up on me anymore"

" we never ganged up on you"

" you always gang up on me and Ginny , always"

"like you and Ginny can't stand up for yourselves." said Harry taking a tiny bit out of his biscuit, when he didn't turn in to a giant feathery bird , he continued eating it.

"are you sure your going to be alright living together? I'm not going to get an owl saying that you've cursed each other so bad all that's left are tiny pieces am I ?"

Hermione glared at him.

"I'm sure me and Ron will be fine, after all were adult's now right?"

"yeah I guess but all the same, please don't kill each other"

"I can't promises anything…"

The two of them sat in silence for a bit not entirely sure what to say, trying not to laugh at the weird noises of what sounded like a paint fight going on next door.

"you going to miss Ginny?" Hermione asked Harry as he drained the last of his tea.

"I guess I am."

"you should tell her how you feel you know."

"Hermione I'll take you're advice when you start listening to your own" he answered in a knowing tone, Hermione just shrugged.

"you know we're not all totally oblivious to you and Ron, no mater how much the two of you pretend that we are."

Hermione didn't answer she just walked across to the window and stared down at the street below.

"you can't use me as an excuse anymore, your running out of excuses now Hermione , you need to do something cause you know for a fact that Ron's never going to be the one to do it."

"Harry as much as I love you and trust you , I can't talk to you about stuff like this…"

"and it wasn't weird for me talking to you about cho?"

" that was different…"

"not that different Hermione, so don't give me that."

Hermione looked across at him, and turning rested on the window.

"I'll tell you the same as I told Angelina, I'll do something when I'm good and ready."

"we'll don't leave it to long.."

"when did my love life become a spectator sport?" she sighed .

"we'll you and Ron aren't the quietest of people in the world are you."

"ha,ha" said Hermione dryly.

"just one question?" said Harry as he got up to put the cup's in the sink.

"yeah what?"

" what did happen between you and Ron ?" he said pausing at the door frame.

" if I knew that you wouldn't have had that conversation." said Hermione pushing him out the door .

As Ron and Hermione said goodbye to everyone at the leaky cauldron, Ron turned to Hermione.

"this is it you know."

" yeah" said Hermione smiling at him nervously.

They made their way in to the back and on to diagon ally. Ron's crutches making a rhythmic clunk on the cobbled street.

"glad your with me" said Ron quietly.

"glad to be here" said Hermione as they reached the joke shop and headed up the small alleyway at the side and to their front door.

The two of them sat for a long time in silence as they looked around their new home, Hermione's books filled the entire book case, old wizarding novels stood alongside tales of espionage and intrigue. The old wireless from Mr Weasaley's garage sat on a upturned box, with a flick of his wand Ron turned it on , the music softened the silence a bit.

"I know what's wrong" he said suddenly.

"you do." said Hermione looking at him.

"yes, we haven't had our daily fight today." he said smiling as Crookshanks slinked out from under the bookcase and jumped on his knee.

"I'm to tired to fight with you today." said Hermione yawning.

"tiered you did nothing all day…"

" yes I did " snapped Hermione. Crookshanks jumped slightly and turned his face to her.

"you fall for it every time." said Ron lifting Crookshanks gently of his knee and handing him to Hermione.

"g'night H" he said lifting himself on to his crutches.

"you're going to bed so soon?"

"Harry's coming over in the morning, nice and early to see if we can get whatever that thing is from under their" he gestured in the direction of the book case.

"oh" said Hermione. "what do you guys think it is?"

" from the noise I recon it's a goule , but I could be wrong."

" I hope you are, their really creepy."

"it's ok, I'll save you from the scary goule" said Ron as he headed for his door.

"you wish, I think I can handle myself Ron"

"oh we'll the offers always their night H"

Hermione sighed as she watched him close his door. even if she wanted to she was not about to start playing the damsel in distress for anyone.

The staring eye's looked at him through the mask, they flicked to Hermione , a evil glisten flashed in the heartless pupils , an evil high laugh echoed through the air.

Ron watched as Hermione's body fell limply to the floor and her killer turned to face him.

Hermione woke to what at first she thought was the goule under the bookcase, the moaning sounded weird and distant, Crookshanks purred in her ear as she lay staring at the street lamps flickering on the ceiling. she reached up and stroked him subconsciously ,he head butted her gently in the side of the head.

" you want something to eat hu?" she said sitting up, Crookshanks jumped up and made his way to the door. Hermione yawned and made to follow him.

she routed around in the kitchen for a box of cat biscuits, a saucer and a can of pop for herself.

she was about to open the can when she heard the low moaning noise again.

she took her wand out and headed to the bookcase, crouching on all fours she cast lumos and looked under the shelf's.

"want to shut up your just being annoying , you do know that don't you " she said to the empty crawl space.

a low moaning answered her , but it wasn't from the book case, it was from Ron's room.

she stood up and looked across at Crookshanks, he was busy chewing his kitty bits oblivious to everything, owl hooted doe fully from the small shelf across Ron's door.

she stared at the door again , should she go in their was something wrong?

another low moan sealed her thoughts and she turned the door handle quietly.

Ron was thrashing about in his bed, Hermione had seen him like this several times since he woke up from his coma like state. she rushed over to his side and tried to get him to stop thrashing around.

"Ron , wake up Ron , your having a bad dream" Hermione's voice seamed so far away, but it was her voice , but how could it be she was lying dead in his arm's how could she be talking to him?

The violent red to f his bedroom came swimming in to focus, it was dream, it had been a dream a nightmare, Hermione was alright she was here, the way she had been so many times before.

"you ok ?" she asked him her face was worried as she clung on to his hand.

Ron shook his head, he wasn't going to lie, he thought he had seen the last of the nightmares, people he loved dying and him having no way of stopping it, yet he he'd never dreamt of Hermione in that way before, and that worried him, especially as all the people he he'd though of in that way were now dead.

"you want a drink?" she said handing him her can of pop. he took it and drank it trying not to look at her, she sat on the side of his bed.

"what was it this time?" she asked.

"same thing as always" he said plainly. even if it had felt so real. Hermione took the can back from him and took a drink.

"who was it this time?"

"it was someone new" he said looking at her , she looked so worried for him, she reached out and took him by the hand.

" come on, like you said you have to get some sleep" she said looking away and breaking her eye contact with him.

"why can't I save them Hermione. in my dream they all die, mum, Bill, George…(he had to stop himself saying you ) and I can't do anything about it."

"Ron you've been through a lot" said Hermione moving so she was resting on his head rest alongside him. Crookshanks plodded across the room and jumped up on to Hermione's knee.

Ron stroked him behind the ears.

"it hurt's so much , I keep expecting to see them you know…" he said resting his head on her.

" yeah I know what you mean, it's strange not having your mum around to tell me what I'm doing wrong"

"she never meant it you know"

"I know she didn't , it was just your mum being your mum wasn't it"

Ron nodded.

"I miss her"

Ron rested his head on her shoulder and Hermione looked down at his red hair in the light from the street, she listened to him talking about his mum and his brothers, it was what he needed, and she would be their for him, she wanted to be their for him.

when talk finally drizzled out, they sat in silence Ron still resting on Hermione's shoulder.

after some time had passed without either of them saying anything Hermione looked down at him.

his eyes were closed in gentle sleep. she moved him in to a sleeping position and made to get up, but Crookshanks hissed at her warning her that moving to far might be a bad idea, she wiggled her way slowly down the bed slightly, Crookshanks looking up from her lap warningly. she tipped her head to one side and looked at Ron his face looked so peaceful in his gentle sleep, whatever and whoever that nightmare had been about had certainly disturbed him. she lay watching him whilst Crookshanks got himself comfortable on Hermione's stomach. Hermione was dimly aware of the noise of the street outside as sleep crept over her.

The daylight creeping across the room woke Ron . It' took him some time to adjust to his new surroundings . it took him even longer to realise that he wasn't alone. Crookshanks purred loudly in his ear. bringing him in to the land of the awake. it took him two seconds to realise the arm wrapped around him wasn't his own. she had stayed their all night?

He tried not to read to much in to it, it wasn't as if they hadn't spent all night together before, but that was different, they weren't alone then , and they defiantly weren't in the same bed.

he gently lifted her arm off him against his better judgment, and rolled over, he gazed in to her sleeping face.

again she had been their for him when he needed her. he felt a great rush of gratitude to her for that.

he reached up and moved the hair away from her face, Hermione reached up and stopped him.

"your awake?" he asked quietly.

"let me sleep a bit longer" she said quietly.

"I'd love to but Harry will be here soon" said Ron lifting his head in to a resting position on his hand.

"just a little longer" she said stretching slightly.

"ok a little longer" he said quietly making his way out of the bed and in to the living room, he lingered at the door for a moment. he gazed at Hermione resting peacefully on his bright red bedspread , Crookshanks rubbed around his feet. his insides squirmed, it was a weird feeling that he wasn't at all used to, seven years now he had known her, he had watched her change and not even noticed it, they had both changed so much, but for so long now she had made him feel both safe and scared, nervous and sometimes overly confident.

As he boiled the kettle Ron wondered if all women should come with health warnings, or just the one that was now sleeping in his bed.


	9. beating heart baby

This chapter is dedicated to : kai from army of freshman for making me laugh so hard I nearly snorted tea out of my nose, jeph from the used for proving that you can smack your head of your mic half way through a song and still look sexy and cool! ( as he did last night).

My friend don who dragged me to see the used even though I complained.

And to J.k Rowling for finally clearing up how old Hermione is! ( almost a whole year older than Harry I knew I was right!)

But on with the story…..

* * *

Ron answered the door to Harry's knocking, he greeted his friend all the time watching the door to his room, if Hermione came out of their now it would lead to awkward questions, questions he wasn't entirely sure of the answers to.

" want a cup of tea Harry?" Ron asked loudly.

"yeah mate whatever, no need to shout." said Harry clearing some of the junk of the stool in the kitchen and leaning on the breakfast bar.

" did I wake you up ?" he questioned looking at Ron who was still in his shorts and a old white t-shirt.

"I was up anyway."

"your right Ron that spider was massive" said Hermione, as she opened the door to Ron's room, " I got rid of it for you though, we'll just have to put a net up at your window."

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione but didn't say anything.

"thanks Hermione" Ron said poring her a cup of tea, she sat down on the stool next to Harry and took the cup.

"so do you recon it's defiantly a goule under their then" she said to Harry, she looked over and smiled softly at Ron.

"yeah, should be easy enough to get out of their though."

They talked about different techniques to remove ghouls for about fifteen minuets whilst Ron tried desperately to catch Hermione's eye, he couldn't believe how fast Hermione had come up with a cover story. He could tell that Harry wasn't totally convinced by it but even so Ron was glad he didn't have to explain himself today and right now.

"I should really go get ready, I promised Tonks I would meet up with her" said Hermione excusing herself from the conversation.

Ron watched her walk across the room, this time Harry laughed to himself as he watched his best friend drop himself right in it.

"what?"

"nothing, nothing at all"

Ron and Harry spent most of the day messing about with different spells, trying to see which had the funniest affect on the goule, both aware that they weren't going to see each other for a considerable amount of time

When they finally removed the goule, Ron had laughed so hard his side was sore.

Talking with Hermione had defiantly helped he felt a lot less confused now, or at least he thought he was.

"you ok Ron?"

Harry was looking at him strangely.

"why wouldn't I be"

"just thought you might want to talk, what with this being the last time I see you in a bit."

"I don't think theirs anything to bad that I need to discuss" said Ron rather more stiffly than he would have liked.

"oh right, just thought you might want to talk about you and Hermione that's all" said Harry, Ron new he was watching for the usual reaction. " I know you two are in a weird place at the moment."

" at the moment? That's a bit of an understatement isn't it?"

"only a small one, and you know I worry about the two of you, I'll tell you what I told her, I don't want you to kill each other alright"

"mate right now I don't know what I want to do." said Ron thinking back to the events of the last twenty four hours.

"has something happened?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged, he didn't want to tell Harry about all the things that went through his head when he and Hermione were alone, let alone the things that had gone through his head as he woke up this morning…

"their wasn't a spider was their?" asked Harry quietly.

Ron shook his head.

Harry raised his eyebrows questioningly, Ron knew he was going to have to explain before Harry jumped to totally the wrong conclusion.

"I had another nightmare, she woke me up and I was upset so she stayed with me, it's that simple alright."

"was it one of the ones that you had in the hospital?" asked Harry looking worried.

Ron nodded." Hermione was in it" he said quietly.

"did you tell her that?"

"hey Hermione I have dreams where you die and it upsets me so much I nearly kill myself in my sleep, Harry mate she would et me locked up"

Harry shrugged, " you know you might be surprised, I hate to agree with Malfoy but if the two of you talked a bit more you might find some things out about each other that would solve a lot of your problems."

"I don't have problems" said Ron indignantly.

"not telling Hermione that you like her is a big problem Ron." said Harry leaning back in the armchair.

"yeah but it's a problem that I've been able to deal with for the last three years without your help thanks all the same Harry"

"we'll you had better have done something by Christmas or I'll tell her for you, not that she'll believe me."

Ron started to argue but at that second the door opened and Tonks, Hydiki and Hermione wandered in.

Hydiki smiled at Harry and Ron weakly looking bit worse for wear, Tonks threw a bag at Ron and it landed on his knee.

" a house warming gift from me to you and the little lady" she said putting an arm around Hermione. Ron couldn't help notice how weird Hermione looked standing next to tonks and her tomato red spiky hair and Hidiki decked out in a bit of a punk outfit, in contrast Hermione looked like a little old lady.

" thanks Tonks" Ron said as he pulled a banana hanger out of a bag.

"it's a banana hanger, its not a home without a banana hanger" she stated making it clear that that was the end of the conversation.

Harry looked as if he was trying not to laugh.

"you ready to go Harry?" asked Hidiki.

"yeah, listen I'll see you two as soon as I can alright." he said hugging Hermione .

"your going already?" asked Hermione when they broke apart.

"I have to… tell Ginny I'm really sorry I wont see her before she goes back to school."

Hermione looked at him. " where are you going?" she asked him.

"I have stuff to do, places to visit, stuff I have to do on my own, Ginny understands…I just hope the pair of you do to." he said looking from one to the other.

Ron nodded.

" remember what I said Ron" said Harry as he followed Tonks and Hydiki out of the door.

"see you tomorrow guy's came the voice of Tonks followed by a large crash at the bottom of the stairs.

Ron winced.

" bet that hurt her." he said as Hermione wandered over and sat down next to him on the sofa and kicked of her shoes. She tucked them under herself and took out a small leather bound book.

"what's that?" Ron asked.

"oh right yeah" said Hermione, reaching in o her bag and handing an almost identical one to him. "it's your handbook, it's got your lecture time table in it, who's in your section names and stuff" said Hermione turning her attention back to her book.

R. B. Weasley. Was embossed on the front of his, he flicked the pages absentmindedly, looking at his future.

He looked up at Hermione. Who stopped reading and turned to him.

"we need to talk" they both said at the same time.

Hermione laughed nervously

"you go first" said Ron watching Hermione as she went red.

"what happened last night Ron. Was that dream about me?"

Ron hadn't expected her to get straight to the point so quickly.

"yes. it was about you." he said.

Hermione just looked at him.

"did you mind that I stayed with you last night."

Ron shook his head. He felt sick.

"you know I'm here for you right, when ever you need me"

Ron nodded.

"you wanted to say something.?" Hermione asked him. This was it, right now he needed to tell her everything, just get it out in to the open.

"why did you stay." it wasn't a question. It was more of an observation.

Hermione didn't answer for a bit.

"I was comfortable, and Crookshanks wouldn't let me move." she said looking away. "listen I'm going to have a bath then go to bed you don't mind do you?"

Ron nodded, but Hermione didn't see she was already making her way to the bathroom.

"good night Ron."

" yeah night Hermione" he said getting himself up and heading to his room with his book and an uneasy felling that a restless night lay ahead.

Ron woke Hermione.

"you had another one" she said without opening her eye's she could tell by the way he had said her name.

"yes" he said sitting down on the side of her bed. Hermione lifted the bed covers and moved along.

" don't get used to this." she said rolling over and putting her arm around him, he was shaking slightly.

"thanks Hermione" he said quietly, but Hermione didn't need to hear it.


	10. running from you

_this ones for anyone who's still reading it!_

Ron had gone before Hermione woke up, but the bed still smelt of him, yawning she got herself up and headed for the bathroom, her change of clothes under her arm.

When she walked in to the living room Ron greeted her with a smile, but no mention of last night, had she just dreamt it? She knew that Ron often haunted that half asleep half awake place , so she could have.

She watched him as he read the daily prophet and ate his toast. If he did sleep in my bed last night that's the second time in a row.

"you better hurry up we have to meet Ginny in twenty" said Ron his mouth full of food.

Hermione nodded and went in to the bathroom. Closing the door behind her and running the bath she slipped down on the hideous green carpet and absentmindedly picked at a hole in the rug.

She knew that living with Ron was going to be weird but this was beyond weird, right now she felt like this couldn't get any more complicated. She had tried telling Ron how she felt, but she just couldn't find the right words.

Worst thing was she had a feeling that Ron was trying to tell her the same thing.

Were they ever going to get out of this permanent state of stalemate?

Hermione and Ron meet Ginny and her luggage at the leaky cauldron , Hermione had ordered a taxi to pick them up from the record store at the side of the pub, as a struggling Ron heaved Ginny's trunk in to the back of the taxi Ginny and Hermione climbed in to the back seat.

"did Harry tell you where he was going?" asked Hermione happy to have something on her mind other than Ron.

"yeah , but don't worry he's ok." she said and no matter how much Hermione and later Ron asked Ginny wouldn't give them an a answer.

"so did you two do anything interesting last night?" Ginny asked as they sat in a traffic jam.

Both of them looked at each other, but Ron spoke first.

"we had early nights right h?"

"had reading to do" said Hermione patting her bag. But as Ginny looked out the window Hermione turned to Ron, she tried to read his expression but he wasn't giving anything away, but she took his previous actions to mean that she hadn't imagined last night.

They sat in reflective silence un till they got to king's cross. Hermione paid the driver and Ron and Ginny found a baggage cart.

Pushing the cart on to platform 9 3/4 proved to b e a little more difficult with Ron on his crutches. So in the end Hermione and Ginny took over.

Luna greeted them on the other side along with Neville who was grinning like a man possessed.

"what are you so happy for?" Ron asked him as they wandered along the platform.

"Luna why do you have two trunks?" asked Ginny as she helped Luna with her baggage rack.

"one of them belongs to Neville." she said smiling.

"Neville? " asked Hermione as they stopped at an empty compartment and started putting the luggage aboard.

Neville beamed at them.

"I got a letter asking me to go and help professor sprout in the green houses and look after the plant's in the grounds." he said beaming.

" Neville that's wonderful why didn't you say anything?" said Hermione hugging him, Luna shot her a warning look but Hermione chose to ignore it.

"I wasn't sure if I wanted it or not" he said " but you know how persuasive some people can be, right Luna?"

Luna shook her blond head and climbed in to the train, " no Neville you'll heave to tell me." she smiled as she took her seat.

Neville followed her onto the train.

"we'll have a good year" said Ron giving Ginny a hug.

"you better come and see me play" she said hugging him back and turning to Hermione. " and you better look after him, he might be an idiot but I love him" she said giving Hermione a hug.

"your not the only one , I promise I wont let him go anywhere near anything that might cause him to grow any sort of intelligence, extra appendage or blow him up." said Hermione as they watched a laughing Ginny follow the others on to the train.

It wasn't until the train had pulled out of the station that Hermione realised what she had said.

" and this is your desk" said Tonks shoving some papers of the desk and on to the floor. Ron laughed , Tonks' guided tour of the office had so far included the coffee machine that blew up if you touched it, the toilets the corner where they kept their broomsticks ( that was covered in quidditch posters) and the staff room where a wizard had been asleep when they visited.

"so what do you think?"

" I give it half a day before Hermione starts to tidy up." he said sitting him self down on the clean part of the desk.

"she is a bit like that isn't she , must be something to do with her being muggle born, they have a tendency to be a bit to clean."

"the flat is driving her insane" said Ron nodding.

"but I notice your both still alive so something must be right" said Tonks taking hold of a memo that had just flown on to her desk.

"I guess."

A loud crash made Ron jump.

"don't worry its just Hydiki , she does that whenever she sees Remus ."

"lupin?"

"yeah" said Tonks grinning as she read the memo.

"why?"

But Ron didn't get his answer Hermione and Hydiki had just walked in to the cubical, Hermione laughing like mad and Hydiki bright red.

"dose she do that every time?" Hermione asked Tonks.

"almost, what did she break this time"

"Kingsley" said Hermione dissolving in to a sea of laughter again.

"I can't help it!"

"I know you can't that is why it's so funny." said Tonks looking up at the calendar on the wall, "you better watch her it's that time of the month again" said Tonks laughing. Hermione nodded.

"what's the memo? Can't be about me again surely" said Hydiki when she finally got her breath back.

"nah. Someone tried to break in to Gringots again, the boss wants me to go on the case again, you up to it Ron?"

Ron jumped he had been busy watching Hermione, he turned to Tonks and nodded.

"right then…"

They were just about to go when Remus Lupin walked over to greet them, it only resulted in Hydiki dropping her cup and Hermione laughing harder than before.

"you looking after them?" said Remus smiling across at Hydiki who made a large gulping sound. But somehow managed to nod.

"we're going to Gringots," said Tonks. " you want anything brought back from diagon ally?" Remus shook his head " no but say hi to Flur for me"

"yeah Ron say hi to flur from me as well" said Hermione Ron turned to look at her, he defiantly heard the trace of bitterness in her voice.

"ok Hermione I will"

Tonks looked at her watch.

" come one grip hooks a right old moaner hell kill us if were late" she said dragging him out of the cubicle.

"didn't Ron fancy her?" was the last thing that he heard as the elevator door slammed shut


	11. shut up and scream

Hermione sighed and made her way through the ever mounting piles of paper work that had grown on her desk, it had barely been three weeks since they had started working for the ministry, and already they had so much work it made their newts look like a walk in the park.

Hermione had started taking her work home with her and spreading it out across the kitchen table whilst Ron would use a counter, Ron was working hard on the Gringots case, he would have long discussions with Flur then come home and ask Hermione's opinions on things, Hermione wished he wouldn't. it didn't matter that Flur was bill's girlfriend before he died, somewhere deep down Hermione knew that Ron used to like Flur, and that annoyed her. it didn't help matters that Ron seemed to look more and more like his older brother every day. Hermione tried not to think about it told herself that her mind was playing tricks on her, it was the late nights and the junk food.

Even so , she couldn't help but feel sad at the thought that Ron hadn't made anymore late night wanderings in to her bed, his nightmares seamed to have subsided in to nothing.

Yet they still hadn't talked about it.

In fact the only thing they seemed to talk about was work, Ron finally getting off his crutches and Ginny's first match as team captain which they were due to watch on Saturday.

"come on Hermione we have to get you something to wear" said Hydiki said swallowing the half of a donut that she was holding.

" what's wrong with what I'm wearing?" she said looking down at her black trousers and light blue buttoned shirt.

" you look like someone's mum" said Tonks joining Hydiki in watching Hermione's disgust.

Hermione thought it was a little harsh.

" but why do I need a change of clothes?"

" if were going under cover you need to blend in, your going to stick out like a sore thumb dressed like that." said Tonks .

"have you got anything that will fit her?" Tonks asked Hydiki.

" I recon so, somewhere." she smiled.

"where's Ron?" Hermione asked noticing that Ron wasn't in Tonk's shadow like normal.

" he's interviewing a lead. But we need you to help us undercover." Hermione was defiantly uncomfortable with the evil look that Tonks was exchanging with Hydiki.

" where is this undercover work?"

"you'll see" said Tonk's pulling her in the general direction of the lift.

Ron sat at the table, with his head in a book about goblin behaviour, he couldn't help wondering if Hermione had ever read this book, if she had she would definitely give second thoughts to the work she did for spew.

When he heard the door open he thought nothing of it , it was just Hermione back from work, he turned the pages and said nothing but nodded a hello, he didn't want to talk about work today, he had been talking to Flur and he hated to see that look that Hermione tried so hard not to pull when he talked about Flur.

It wasn't till he caught a glimpse of Hermione out of the corner of his eye as he turned the page did Ron look up.

" what are you wearing?"

" their Tonk's, we went undercover to a concert" said Hermione shrugging of the apprising look that Ron was giving her.

She pulled at the weird sisters t-shirt self consciously, Ron watched her as she tried to pull it down over her bum.

" I didn't think that ripped jeans and sneakers were your thing."

" their not"

" shame you look good, almost like Tonk's little sister."

Hermione leaned on the bench and took a drink of his tea.

" you think?"

Ron wasn't lying, Hermione did look good in what she was wearing. To good if truth be told.

"you look really good" he said taking his drink back of her.

" Hydiki says it's a good look for me."

Ron smiled and turned his attention back to his work.

"how is Flur? I'm presuming that was the lead you were interrogating?" said Hermione sitting down on the bench beside him, she rested her head on the table and lifted the book cover that Ron was reading so she could see the title.

" yeah it was, and she's fine."

"good" said Hermione pulling the face that Ron hated so much.

" why ask if you don't want to know?" he asked pushing the book out of Hermione's hand.

Hermione looked at him hurt.

" I'm trying to make conversation Ronald, since we don't seam to be able to talk about anything but work."

"it's not my fault that things got weird Hermione" said Ron in a low tone, he was determined that he was not going to lose his temper, not this time.

" so it's mine then?"

Ron made no response.

" whatever I'm going to bed, night Ron."

That night the nightmares returned to Ron, but he didn't go to Hermione for comfort, he just lay awake and watched the shadows dancing across the walls.

Ginny appreciated Ron and Hermione coming to watch the first match of the season, they sat high up in the teachers section of the stands with Neville, who sat between the two acting as referee, neither of them had spoken to the other since the night before.

Ginny wished she could just smack the both of them with a bludger, the thought was soon taken out of her mind when they took to the air.

When the final whistle blew gryfindor had won by 160 to 20, hufflepuff were gracious in defeat.

Ron hugged his little sister.

" you put together a great team" said Ron as they walked around the grounds in the light that remained of the day.

"it's just building on your work last year" said Ginny.

"shame Harry couldn't get here" said Hermione.

"he had to work, I don't mind."

" it's not like Ginny hasn't seen him every weekend since we got back anyway" said Neville, he knew as soon as he said it, it was the wrong thing to say.

" thanks Neville"

" Harry's been here?" asked Ron.

" yeah he comes up to talk with Mcgonagal. He stops and has tea with me and Neville." said Ginny going a little red in the face.

" yeah right" said Ron .

"he never comes to see us" said Hermione looking a little hurt.

"we'll you have each other" said Neville grinning.

Ron and Hermione both looked at each other, then away.

" anyway …" side Luna changing the subject

" are you coming to this Halloween ball or what?"

* * *

Ron looked down at Hermione who was curled up like a cat on the sofa next to him , her head rested on a pillow propped up against his side, she had fallen asleep reading a book about stealth , it lay open on the floor where it had fallen from her grasp.

Her long wavy hair fell over the cushion and he had found himself playing absent minded with a strand of it as he read up for their concealment exam they were to take on Friday. He wrapped it around his fingers, felling it's softness against his skin.

They had come to silent resolve again and although their remained an awkwardness between them their was much less tension.

Hermione moved slightly on the sofa. Ron broke his gaze on his book aware for the first time that he had read the same line four times.

Hermione made a moaning noise.

"H?" said Ron looking down in to her face.

"mmh?" questioned Hermione half asleep.

" you want to go to bed?"

Hermione nodded half asleep and dragged herself up. Ron helped her, Hermione seemed to be taking the excessive work load pretty hard, something that surprised Ron a great deal, Hermione was so good with her school work.

Hermione leaned in to Ron as he lay her down on her bed.

"stay" she said softly looking up at him.

"I don't think that would be a good idea do you" he said softly pulling a blue blanket across her.

He knew he was going to hate himself for missing an opportunity like that, but he just couldn't do it , he didn't want to cross the line, he didn't want to lose the friendship bond that he and Hermione had.

As he lay on the sofa reading up on how to blend in ( not that easy with bright red hair) Ron found it difficult to concentrate, his mind focused in on Hermione and where they were in their relationship. It hurt to think about it to much, he resolved to throw himself in to his work.

Their was to much at stake for him to follow his heart.

* * *

"your working with us today Hermione" said Tonks smiling at her. She had been late for work this morning. Ron had never known Hermione be late for anything.

"where's Hydiki?" he asked Tonks .

"she's not well" said Tonk's offhandedly.

"that's the second time in two months" said Ron looking at Tonks, he was glad to have a reason not to look at Hermione .

Hermione made aloud tisking noise next to him as she sat down,

"honestly Ron" she said looking through the paper's on her desk.

" honestly Ron what?"

"you haven't figured it out yet?"

Ron knew that Hermione was only having a go at him to make herself feel better, he was willing to let her get on with it.

"figured out what?"

"have a look around the office and tell me who else is missing?" said Hermione not once looking up from her papers. Ron stared at the neck of her pink t-shirt ( she had started dressing more like a 19year old now) but grudgingly looked around the office. The only person other than Hydiki not accounted for was Lupin.

"Lupin but what has that got to do with…." Ron cut himself short as his mouth caught up with his brain.

"is Hydiki a werewolf?" he asked Tonks.

Tonk's nodded.

" that explains a lot, like why she likes Lupin so bad"

" you cant help who you find attractive" said Tonks. " isn't that right Hermione?"

"couldn't possibly comment" said Hermione looking at Tonks with a warning look in her eye.

Ron felt Hermione tensing in her chair, she knew he was looking at her. He felt awful he should have just told her how he felt about last night, things were going to get really weird, nothing he could do about it now though they were in it for the duration.

" right were going to go back to Gringots and examine the vault that they tried to break in to last night, hopefully we'll get who this is sooner rather than later , theirs only so many times your Charlie's stunning spells will work on thoughts dragons…" started Tonks as the three of them headed for the lift.

"you love it…" said Hermione grinning at Tonks as they got in to the lift.

" what having to go to Gringots every day?"

" no having to take Charlie with you …( she glanced over at Ron as she spoke) can't help what you find attractive right?"

"are you insinuating that I like Charlie?" said Tonks going almost a s red as her hair.

"do you deny it?"

" hell no." she laughed as they wandered out of the lift to collect Charlie.

"what is it with the women in this place" Ron muttered to himself as Charlie met them looking slightly confused at the fit of giggles that had erupted between Tonks and Hermione.

"what's up with them?" he said looking at Ron for help.

" there discussing the Weasley family charms, I don't get it either" he said sympathetically .

Flur smiled at them from behind the counter when they walked in to the entrance to Gringots.

Ron felt Hermione tense up beside him, why couldn't Hermione see that Ron found no interest in Flur at all?

"ermione" said flur smiling at her. "ow are you ?" Hermione forced herself to answer as Flur lead them towards the carts.

Soon Flur had struck up conversation with Ron , it was evedently to much for Hermione , who darted out of the room and out of the front doors.

" what ?" said Ron as the other three staired at him.

"you want to go after her?"

Ron shook his head.

" she'll be fine she just doesn't like the carts that's all" Ron lied, he knew they knew he was lying but he didn't care, Hermione was going to have to live with it. It wasn't nice being on the receiving end, he had to put up with it with her and vicky.

His brother shrugged. " up to you little bro" he said helping Tonks in to the cart.

Ron couldn't help but feel a horrible pang of guilt in his stomach though.

They found Hermione on the steps outside the bank , she had found time to compose herself and she greeted them half smiling.

"you ok?" asked Charlie placing a hand on her arm.

Ron had a overwhelming urge to knock it away, but he stopped himself , after all it was only Charlie.

"I just feel a little sick that's all is it ok if I take the afternoon of?" she asked Tonks.

" yeah whatever as long as you'll be ok for you're exam tomorrow."

Hermione nodded and headed towards the flat.

" I know " said Ron before either of them could have ago at him " but it's got nothing to do with either of you so don't start. "

"what did you do?"

" stopped her from making a big mistake" said Ron staring at the floor.

Charlie sighed.

"really?"

"I don't know anymore, but this isn't the place to discuss it ok." he said starting to walk back towards the leaky cauldron.

The other two walked behind him talking about the case.

"they wanted to put that sort of dragon at the gates of hog warts when Sirius was on the lose, could you imagine what Hagrid would have done with one of thoughts for a pet?" said Charlie.

" it's armless" said Tonks impersonating Hagrid.

They both laughed, Ron sighed, Hermione would have gone spare worrying about Hagrid.

"listen talking of Hogwarts, do you want to go to this ball on Saturday with me?" asked Tonks.

"yeah, that would be nice." said Charlie.


	12. goodbye tonight

this chapter is for MmmMmmm Good who really has to be one of the most fun reviewers out theirim glad you like the hydiki twist!, i sugest you read some of her james /lily stuff its really good!

now on with the story!pezzy-lou

* * *

Hermione didn't speak to him for the entire duration of Thursday , when he had gotten home she was locked in her room. He had made them both food and left hers outside her door.

Friday they had left separately for their exam, she was scared he could tell, but she still didn't speak to him as they waited outside the exam hall with the other students.

It was 8pm on Friday night when she finally talked to him, she sat down on the sofa next to him as he built a tower of cards.

"are we going to the ball tomorrow together or are you making your own way their?" she asked.

Ron carefully balanced the last of the deck on top of the tower , being careful not to catch her eye.

"if you want, Fred and Angelina are already up their, they went to help with the last of the decorations and stuff"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she observed the tower .

"did you do it without magic?" she asked.

" yeah , some things just work better if you concentrate on the task at hand ." he said as she got up and wandered around the table.

"what happened the other day H" said Ron plainly.

Hermione shrugged.

" told you I wasn't well."

" you were fine at the office"

" it's got nothing to do with you." she said stopping across the table

" funny cause I think it's got a lot to do with me." said Ron looking at the floor.

"and what if it has?"

Ron looked up at her. She looked so angry with herself.

He just shrugged.

The cards came crashing down as Hermione's door shook the house.

Ron paced the living room waiting for Hermione to finish in the bathroom, she had been in their almost two hours now, what was she doing? She looked gorgeous most of the time why make so much of an effort? he kicked himself for thinking like that. he shouldn't think like that, it was thinking with his heart, something he kept telling himself would only get the two of them hurt. He was no good for her, she was too good for him, they fought, they never agreed on anything, he wished that she would get out of his brain it felt like it was going to explode.

She whisked past him without a glance towel wrapped around her, he glanced after her then told himself off for doing exactly what he told himself he wouldn't do, he wanted her, all of his instincts were telling him he was being an idiot and should just go with what he wanted , but that voice in his head that sounded so much like Hermione was telling him it was such a bad idea.

He traversed the beauty products that Hermione had left around the bathroom and ran himself a bath with what was left of the hot water.

For someone who was so organised, Hermione couldn't half make a mess of the bathroom , he figured all women were the same, Ginny was exactly the same.

He wondered briefly if Harry would be their tonight, he had been so caught up with trying not to feel anything for Hermione, that he seamed to be unable to manage rational thought.

Getting washed took him all of ten minuets and that included having a shave, how could women take two hours in the bath? He just couldn't understand it.

He met Hermione as he left the bathroom, she looked amazing in her dark red robes, she looked away from him ,when she seen that he had noticed her watching.

"hurry up were going to be late" she said as coldly as she could manage.

"me hurry up?" he scoffed . " I thought you had drown yourself in their." she looked around at him , he wished she wouldn't she made him self conscious, she knew as well as he did that he only had a bath robe on.

" we'll I didn't" she said snapping out of her gaze. "and were going to be late if you don't hurry up."

Ron got dressed hurriedly in his dark blue robes and joined her in the passage outside the flat.

"alright you highness let's get going." he said grabbing her by the arm and dragging her down the stairs.

" where are we going?"

" were going to meet Charlie and Tonks" he said looking at her. " you look fantastic by the way" he added unintentionally.

Hermione tried to hid the grin that spread across her face.

* * *

The great hall looked amazing pupils and ex students sat around what seamed like a thousand small tables, Ron sat with Neville watching as Hermione laughed and joked with lavender. Fred and Angelina stood in the corner quietly concealed from all others talking in hushed voices and staring longingly at each other. Tonks and Charlie sat at the table next to them, head's buried together, occasionally Hermione would look over at the proceedings, then turn back to the conversation that she was having with lavender ,Luna and Ginny were busy entertaining a bunch of first years And Harry was deep in conversation with Lupin , although from his glances at Ginny, Ron felt sure that it wasn't what he wanted to be doing.

At about nine Mr Weasley got up and made a speech about the re building of the school and how it was beginning of a new era for all, but Ron wasn't listening, not that he wasn't the only one, Tonks and Charlie had sneaked out of the hall almost as soon as they had spotted that a speech was on the way.

Harry and Ginny were getting jealous looks from a bunch of sixth year girls as they sat so close that it would be hard pressed to figure that nothing was going on. Hydiki was watching Lupin with a look of lust in her eye's she looked a little pail, but then again so did Lupin.

But Ron only briefly took this in , he was busy watching Hermione who was talking quietly with Malfoy the whole way through his fathers speech.

He slowly counted to ten, but before he got their ,the last word's Malfoy said came to his head 'maybe you should give instead of just taking?'.

Lavender asking him to dance knocked him for six, he hadn't noticed his father was finished.

"not right now maybe later ok" he said.

" oh ok." said lavender watching him as he made his way over to where Malfoy and Hermione sat.

They both looked up at him.

" I think I owe you a thank you, without you neither me or Hermione would be here" said Ron , and he actually meant it.

" your welcome Weasley." said Malfoy. Hermione smiled at Malfoy.

"if you don't mind me and granger were going to have a dance" he said starting to get up.

"actually I do mind I was about to give her the dance I owe her…" he offered Hermione his hand , she looked at Draco then at Ron, she took Ron's hand and followed him in to the middle of the dance floor, the band had just struck up a new slow song and Hermione watched Ron for his reaction.

He placed his hand's on her hips, and looked at her.

She went to speak but he shook his head. She placed her head on his shoulder and her arms around his neck. They swayed gently to the music , over Hermione's shoulder Ron spotted Harry and Ginny, they were dancing but watching Ron and Hermione at the same time.

Hermione pulled her head of him and looked at him.

The two of them stared at each other in the eyes for such a long time that the music changed and they were still dancing , around them everyone else started dancing to the up tempo music, but Ron couldn't bring himself to let go of Hermione.

She lent in to him and buried her head in to his neck.

"what's happening to us Ron" she whispered.

"I wish I knew" he said quietly.

Hermione answered him by kissing him gently on the neck.

"no" he said moving her away.

She looked at him hurt.

"why not?" she whispered..

Ron shook his head.

She stormed off and left him standing alone.But this time he knew he had to follow her , this time they were going to talk, no storming off, no arguments for all to see. She had to know how he felt, all of how he felt.

"where you going?" asked Harry who had been watching the two of them.

"Hermione doesn't feel to well were going home."

Ron knew that Harry didn't believe him but he didn't care.

" Hermione wait up"

" what is it Ron?" she said turning on him half way across the grounds.

"we need to talk."

" we tried that one, it' didn't work, it never works."

She was shaking and she knew it had nothing to do with the weather, she wanted him to show her some sort of affection any sign, why was he being so irrational?

"we'll this time were going to talk , and were not storming away from each other until we get a resolve ok." he said calmly.

She dissolved in to tears, no mater how much she hated to show him that he was getting to her, it hurt so much , it had been the second time she had put herself out for him and he had knocked her down.

"and we're going to do this in the privacy of our own home." he put an arm around her and lead her to the gates. As they passed the large winged bores at the front entrance Hermione wished that she was seeing them for the first time, that right now she was 11 years old and could start this all over again.

They hadn't time to put the light on before Hermione started shouting at him, he knew it was coming , he also knew to cut her off before she got started.

"Hermione calm down and sit down" he orderd.

She looked at him then sat down as she was told.

"we need to talk"

" you said" their was no happiness left in her voice.

"what's happening between us"

"if you haven't figured that out yet Ron" she said bitterly. " then your more of an idiot than I thought you were"

" no need H," said Ron reaching out for her. " that hurt"

" we'll you asked the stupid question" she said staring at the card's that still littered the floor.

"why did you stay the night with me" he asked her quietly.

" I told you, because I wanted to, because believe it or not Ron I like you, I thought you liked me to but obviously not after tonight. I'm just Hermione right? I can't be sexy I can't be anything but good old reliable Hermione."

"Hermione you know I like you , you know I would do anything for you , I love you more than life it's self" he said getting more and more angry with her , why couldn't she see the problems that he could.

"then why aren't we together?, it's killing me Ron, you've seen what I've been like the last few days, you do that to me, don't you understand that?" her face was starting to screw up with anger.

"we can't cross that line H, I don't want to spoil our friendship, you mean to much for me to hurt you"

" can't cross the line? Ron we're so over the line that you would need monocular to see the ( Ron had never heard Hermione curs but their was a first time for everything) line"

"but thing's will get weird"

"things will get weird? Ron thing's are already weird, things have been getting weirder for the last three years"

"can't we go back?"

" it's to late for that, we either do this or …or… I'm leaving…"

" that's and idle threat Hermione"

"Ron for once I'm not using logic, I'm taking a risk, me Hermione taking a risk… I took a risk spending the night by your side, I took a risk letting you sleep in my bed , I took a risk letting you know how I felt…"

The two of them were standing screaming at each other by this point, Hermione had her fists clenched down by her sides, she knew that if he said one more stupid thing she was going to drive one of them in to his face.

Ron was shaking, he knew what she was saying made scene , but Hermione was his best friend. it was wrong.

"how do you feel when you see me talking to krum?" she asked him quietly.

" I want to kill him" said Ron .

" could you live with that felling for the rest of your life? could you Ron, because I can't …I see you and I want you so bad it hurts to think about it, and I've tried to talk myself out of it, believe me and I thought I had. But like Harry said I had made my decision… I chose you over Harry , I chose you over myself Ron. You mean far to much for me to let you mess this up because your scared of a bit of change."

Ron looked at her.

"I'm sorry." he shook his head. "I want you Hermione I really ,really do but …"

" no butts, just take a chance" she said grabbing him by the wrist as he tried to walk away..

He pulled her towards him.

" you want me to take a chance?" he barked , she nodded. Never once letting go of his wrist.

"kiss me, one kiss , at least then we're not both going to wonder what it would be like for the rest of our lives." she said pleading.

" just one kiss?" he said looking at her as if she was mad.

"it's all I want to do every time I see you" she said . "it might stop things being weird, finish unfinished business"

He nodded . One kiss wouldn't kill them.

"so how we going to do this?" he asked her aggressively but Hermione had decided to take matters in to her own hands. she pulled him towards her releasing her grip on his wrist slightly as she moved to his eye level. She stared at him , this wasn't the way she had wanted it to happen, she had wanted him to whisk her of her feet, not have him do it to solve a problem. "you ready?" she asked. He nodded but never once broke eye contact.

Ron moved his free hand to move the hair out of her face, but before he could Hermione had already pulled him in to a kiss, not a deep passionate one like he was expecting , she was being gentle, her lips being careful not to miss his . He knew she was taking her time, making sure that if this was to be their only kiss she wasn't going to forget it, he knew she was because he was thinking the same thing. His hand found the back of her neck and he stroked it gently, she was perfect and he was being a fool.

When they broke apart Hermione let go of his wrist and looked away.

Ron stared at her not entirely sure what to say , that had felt so right, like all the bit's of his complicated life had fallen in to place.

Hermione didn't look at him.

"goodnight Ron" she said in a shallow voice and walked to her room.

Ron watched after her, mentally kicking himself, why was he being such an idiot, why was he deliberately hurting the woman he loved.

Did it make him feel any stronger, any more of a man?

He wasn't sure how long he stood their but when he went to bed he didn't sleep. Instead he listened to see if Hermione was sleeping, the gentle scratching of quill on paper told him that she wasn't.

He had already taken a chance today, one more wouldn't hurt him.

Slowly he got up and made his way to Hermione's room.

She looked up when she saw him standing at her door.

" civilised people knock" she said folding up the piece of parchment and shoving it down the side of her bed.

"we'll I'm not civilised am I"

" what did you want Ron?"

She said watching as he walked over and sat behind her, she tried not to think the thoughts that ran through her mind as he sat their in his check shorts and white t-shirt but it was a losing battle. He might not want her, but she couldn't stop herself from wanting him.

"have things gotten weirder?" he asked her.

" I don't want to kiss you when I see you" she said, Ron made a noise of disappointment. " it's moved on from that" she added quietly.

It had been loud enough for Ron to hear, he placed his hand on her waist and played with the hem of her top.

"I was thinking that too" he said moving closer to her. Hermione watched them both in the mirror at the end of her bed, they looked like they belonged together, they looked like one, Ron caught the line of her gaze and smiled at her in the mirror. Gently he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her.

"your ready to take a chance?" she asked him. Turning her head to the side to meet his that he had rested on her shoulder.

"on one condition."

" what's that condition?" she said resting her forehead against his.

"when you leave me for someone better, when you break my heart, we're still going to be friends, cause I can't live without you " he said closing his eyes.

"Ron… why would I leave you ? I chose you over Krum, i chose you over ...everything, don't you get that? As far as I'm concerned you're the best there is" she said.

"just promises me, I know you keep your promises"

" I promise" she said softly as he looked at her. His lips found hers in a split second, Hermione hadn't been expecting it but welcomed it all the same. Finally they felt right, the awkwardness between them had lifted , they could get on with living.

"h?" he said when she pulled away.

"I need to ask you something." she said taking hold of his hand.

"go"

"if I ask you to stay will you" she said reaching over and turning of the light.

"I don't know why don't you ask me?" He said grinning to himself in the dark.

"stay with me" she said .

He followed her up the bed and laid down beside her, wrapping his arm protectively around her waist.

"I'll stay as long as you'll have me" he whispered in to her ear.

"then I'm going to need a bigger bed."

* * *

That's it folks! Hope you enjoyed, their will be a sequel, I know that because I've already started writing it, but your going to have to wait, but as of next week I have no job so I have plenty of time! Love paula- lou 


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